


Loup Garou VIII thru XIII

by thebasement_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-09-30
Updated: 2001-09-30
Packaged: 2018-11-20 18:41:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 56,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11341113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist
Summary: Jessica Leahs returns to help Mulder and Scully investigate a series of murders, and ends up in a relationship that is *really* complicated. Nonshippers beware.





	Loup Garou VIII thru XIII

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

 

Loup Garou by Shael

Disclaimer - Fox Mulder and Dana Scully actually belong to each other. Some guy named Chris Carter keeps insisting otherwise. The spirit of Deep Throat lives on. Cancerman, however, I hope, will die a lonely and bitter man. No copyright infringement intended to any of TenThirteen Production's property. Jess Leahs, Lindy and the various MIB's are mine however, but I am willing to share if asked nicely.  
Synopsis - Jess unexpectedly drops back into Mulder's life No real spoilers. It's set sometime in Season One, post 'Fire.'  
Rated PG-13  
ThanX to everyone who put up with my whining for feedback while I was writing this, especially Wendy who sugguested some of the events.  
No, this isn't the follow up to the Loss. For all of you who threatened me with phisical harm if I don't follow up on it, I'm writing as fast as I can.  
If you want the other seven Loup Garou stories, check http://www.imadethis.org/loupgarou.htm

* * *

Loup Garou VIII - The Meeting  
by Shael ()

* * * * * * *

It was Saturday morning. Dana Scully had been looking forward to the weekend. If she wasn't working on an urgent case with Mulder, she had the luxury of having two whole days to herself. No chasing after aliens. No monsters reaching out of air vents. No weirdness at all.

Then the phone rang. "Scully."

"It's me," Mulder's voice sounded tense. "I have an emergency. I can't go into details, but I need you to get over here now. Bring your black bag."

"Mulder, what's going on?" She could hear labored breathing and an occasional quiet moan in the background. "Are you watching one of those videos that arent yours?"

"No, Scully, this is serious." There was a second moan. "Get over here *now*." There was a sudden buzz of a dialtone as Mulder hung up the phone.

Scully also sighed as she hung up the phone. <So much for a nice, normal weekend.> she thought.

* * * * * * *

Scully knocked on the door. "Scully, get in here!" came the muffled reply. Mulder sounded like he was in his bedroom. She pushed open the unlocked door.

The living room was empty. The breathing she had heard on the phone sounded more ragged, the moans softer. Scully started to for the bedroom. Then she saw the blood smeared on the wall. "Mulder, what's wrong?"

"God dammit, Scully, get *in* here!" She stepped into the bedroom to see a strange woman in a plain black bra on his bed. The light glinted off the locket she wore around her neck. Pale scars crisscrossed her torso. A blanket was tossed over her lower half. Mulder was standing over her, applying pressure to a wound on her shoulder. "Gunshot wound. Round went through, but she's still bleeding."

"Mulder, she should be in an ER, not here." Scully was moving off to the bathroom, trying to sterilize the best she could.

Despite her wound, the woman tried to speak. "No... hospital...," she managed to gasp before passing out.

"We can't take her there," Mulder said. "I can't explain now, but I will. Please."

* * * * * * *

The woman was still unconscious. Her shoulder was swathed in bandages, giving the stranger an appearance of being a mummy. Scully took her pulse. It was weak but steady. She turned to Mulder. "If she survives the shock, blood loss, and probable infection, she should be fine."

Mulder sighed. Concern, relief and uncertainty were written on his features. "She'll make it. She's a survivor. Thank you, Scully."

"I should check over her and see if she has any secondary wounds that need tending." She reached for the blanket.

"Scully! Don't!" Mulder reached to stop her. But he was too late.

Scully stared in shock. It wasn't what she expected to see. She had thought that she had caught Mulder screwing around, that it had been some kinky sex game gone wrong.

"Oh my God..." she whispered.

The woman looked perfectly human from the black cutoff denim shorts and up. Below the mid calf was another story. Black fur covered her lower legs. Four inch talons sprang from massive hind paws. A six inch tail extended from a slit in the seat of her shorth.

"Mulder, what *is* she?" Scully whispered. She ran her hand over a leg. It felt just like a large dog's. The paw twitched reflexively, claws unsheathing further, as she touched it. The tail thumped against the bed like an angry cat's.

Mulder took her arm, trying to turn her away from the stranger. "Let me explain in the living room."

Scully took one last look at the stranger. The fur was thinning out. It started maybe an inch lower than when she had first removed the blanket. She pulled it back over the unconscious form and followed Mulder out of the bedroom.

Once in the livingroom, she turned and accosted her partner. "Who is she, Mulder?"

Mulder sat down on his leather couch. "She's an old friend. I met her shortly after I graduated from Oxford, just after I returned home."

"And her appearance?"

"She's a werewolf."

"She's a what?" Disbelief was evident in her voice. She couldn't accept what Mulder had just told her.

"She's a werewolf." Mulder repeated.

Scully shook her head. She knew Mulder well enough to know that he was perfectly serious. "Mulder, I'm not going to say it. Even with what you have told me, with what I *saw*, I just can't believe it."

"Believe it," said a soft female voice. Mulder and Scully turned to the bedroom doorway. The woman stood there in a black t-shirt, on fully human legs, clutching the doorway for support. Mulder started to get up. The woman put up a hand halting him. With a fierce independence in her eyes, she slowly crossed the room to a chair. The stranger collapsed into it with a sigh.

Scully was at the woman's side in an instant, lifting the shirt to examine her shoulder. She unrolled the bandages. There was only a scab where the wound should have been. "My kind heal fast," the woman said.

"Scully, meet Jessica Leahs. Jess, this is my partner, Dana Scully. I just wish you two could have met under better circumstances."

"Charmed, I sure." Jess said. "Mulder, I don't have time for this. I gotta go."

"Go?" The doctor in Scully reacted immediately. "You've just received a major wound and have lost a large amount of blood. The fact that you're conscious is a miracle in itself. If you go anywhere, it will be back to bed."

"I can't." Jess tried to stand up. She made it half way before falling back into the chair. "I had a friend with me when I was attacked. I gotta find her."

"Tell me where she is, and I'll go get her." Mulder was on his feet and moving towards the door.

Jess shook her head. "She won't come to you. If anything, she'll run away, even if she knew I had sent you." She shook her head. "I'm the only one who can." Jess managed to stand shakily before falling back into the chair yet again. "I just need a day or two to heal completely, but I can't wait that long to find her."

"Then we'll take you where you need to go."

Scully shot a look at Mulder. "Could I have a word with you?" They moved back into the bedroom in an attempt for Jess not to hear.

"What are you *doing*?" Scully said. "She shouldn't be here, let alone running around outside."

"You saw what she looked like a while ago. She doesn't want any trouble for herself, you or me." Mulder sighed. He looked at back at the woman who was sitting in the chair, trying to summon the strenght to get up from the chair for the third time. "And you don't know her like I do. Once she's made up her mind about something, it won't be changed."

* * * * * * *

The three of them were in the car, driving through a park. Jess was in the passenger seat, giving directions to Mulder. She was sitting slightly slumped forward, as if sitting upright were almost too much for her to do in her tired state.

Scully leaned forward. "Who are we looking for?" she asked from the back seat.

"Her name's Lindy." Jess closed her eyes, seeming to concentrate on something. "Left here, Mulder. Miss Scully, she's a young girl that I am taking care of. She's about seven or eight years old. We're not absoulutely certain."

Mulder tightened his grip on the wheel. "Is she like you?"

"Turn right here. Yeah, she's like me." Jess's brown eyes snapped open. "Wait. Pull over."

They stepped out of the car. In front of them was a trail leading off through the bushes. "Lindy, where are you?" Jess called, moving down the trail. She seemed to have recovered from her tiredness somewhat. Scully and Mulder followed behind.

The trail lead towards a clearing. Jess stepped into it. "Linnndeeee!" She looked at Mulder and Scully as they entered the clearing. "Stay back. She's very afraid of strange men."

Jess knelt down in the field. She was scanning the bushes. A slight rustle caused her head to snap in that direction. "It's okay, Lindy," she coaxed. "You're safe now. You can come to me." Her voice projected warmth and security.

A child's small blonde head poked out of the bushes. "'S'okay?" she lisped.

"Yes, it's safe." Jess reassured. "You were a very good girl. And a very brave girl, to do what I said." She followed Lindy's scared stare over to Mulder. "It's okay, honey. They're friends. In fact," she stage whispered behind her hand, "I bet he's more scared of you than you are of him."

Mulder picked up on Jess's hint. "Scully, I don't think I'd like to run into her when there's a full moon."

"Know 'bout us?" Lindy stepped out from behind the bush.

Jess nodded. "Yeah, they know."

Lindy frowned at her. "Thought you said never to tell."

Jess smiled. "Lindy, there are times when the rules have to be broken. He's someone I trust and have known since before I met you." She held out her hand. "Come on, we're gonna go someplace safe."

Lindy scooted out from behind the bush to take Jess's hand. Jess stood back up. "It's gonna be okay, sweetheart."

* * * * * * *

They had all returned to Mulder's apartment. Lindy was being checked over by Scully. Lindy, needing to prove that she wasn't afraid, hadn't wanted Jess to be there. So she had been banished to the living room with Mulder.

Mulder decided to use this time alone with her to get some answers. "Why didn't you tell me about Lindy, Jess?"

"Don't worry, Mulder. You're not her father," she said gravely. "I may do a lot of things, but I would *never* hold back information like that. Besides, think about it. She's way too young. Any kid that you would have fathered would be nine at the youngest."

Mulder looked relieved, and then guilty that he felt relieved. "Then who is?"

"Damned if I know." She shook her head. "As far as I've been able to piece together, her mother was a crack addict and she never knew her father. One of her "uncles" sexually abused her and then literally sold her to a pedophile."

"My God.... No wonder she doesn't like strange men."

Jess smiled, "And there's no one stranger than you, Mulder." She leaned back into the seat, serious once again. "She seemed to end up with an above average sicko. He was a werewolf. And it appears that he Changed her to make her even more attractive to him."

"So, how did she end up with you?"

"She killed him. She stabbed him with silver out of sheer terror and desperation one night after he... had been with her. I met her on the West Coast, where she had been living with her john. She was scared and trying to survive on her own. Reminded me a lot of myself and I just couldn't leave her. We've been wandering together for about three years now." She sighed. "It's been a challenge to say the least."

"Does she have the abilities that you do?"

"Not quite. She can Change, but it's either full human or full wolf. Nothing in between like I can do. She doesn't have the mind reading ability either, but that took about five years for me to develop and control."

"You can read minds?" That was something he didn't remember.

"How did you think I knew where to find Lindy? I was scanning for her almost as soon as I woke up. I don't like doing it, though. I had to learn very fast how not to read minds. I only do it in a life or death situation. Don't worry, I'm not a psychic Peeping Tom." She winced and rubbed her temples. "Besides, doing it for a long time always gives me a headache."

The door to the other room flew open. Lindy ran over to Jess, grabbing onto her leg with a death grip. Scully followed. "Aside from some bumps and bruises, she's fine."

Jess smiled and rested her hand on Lindy's head. "Honey, I know you love me, but you're cutting off circulation to my leg. And I've lost so much lately I need all I have."

"Sorry, Jess." Lindy loosened her hold.

"That's okay. Do you want to talk about what happened after we got split up?"

"No," she said in a small voice. "I don't remember." She started to shiver and looked frightened. "I can't remember."

"Jess, she's still in shock," Mulder said in an undertone. "She may not be able to remember right now. She may also be repressing it."

Scully watched the scene with an uneasy fascination. Lindy was growing more panicky by the moment. Her breathing grew shallow and raspy, whistling through her open mouth. Her blond hair, pulled up in a ponytail, seemed to grow coarser and add several inches to its length. <Why do her teeth suddenly look pointed?>

Jess reacted swiftly. She pulled out the necklace she was wearing under her shirt, dangling it at Lindy's eye level. She grabbed Lindy's hair, not allowing her to look away. "Concentrate on the locket," she said softly. "See how the light glints off it. Watch how it dangles on the chain. Nothing matters but the locket. Nothing exists but the locket."

Lindy's breathing slowed down. She closed her mouth. Jess released her hair, which was once again baby fine. "That was close," she breathed. "Lindy, where's your necklace?"

"I lost it." Lindy sounded embarrassed.

Jess smiled. "That's okay, honey. We'll find it. Or get another one. Here," she took off the necklace. "Why don't you wear mine for now. I don't need it as much." She reclasped the necklace around Lindy's neck. "If Mulder doesn't mind, why don't you go on to sleep."

Mulder nodded. "That's not a problem." As Lindy scampered to the bedroom, he turned to Jess. "And what about you?"

A tired pair of eyes turned to regard the FBI agents. "What about me?"

Scully shook her head. "You need rest even more than Lindy does."

"Later. We've got to figure out who knows about me." Jess sounded tired but determined.

"We can start with who shot you." Mulder asked.

Jess sighed. "Lindy and I were in the park, minding our own business. And then bang, I'm bleeding from the shoulder. I ran on instinct, and you were the closest person I could think of."

"So you don't have any idea," Mulder said.

Jess shook her head. "Nope."

Scully shook her head. <It's going to be a long night... .>

* * * * * * *

Jess had finally fallen asleep in spite of herself. She had been exhausted, spending most of the night comforting Lindy from her nightmares and brainstorming with Mulder and Scully, trying to figure out who knew about what she was. Every time there was so much a peep from the bedroom, Jess was there in an eye blink. After the fifth time, she didn't come back.

Scully went to check on them. She came back quietly. "She's fallen asleep beside Lindy. We shouldn't disturb her. So..." she paused, looking him in the eye, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, but I have to anyway." Mulder looked out the window. He took off his reading glasses. "We were both younger and stupider. A mutual friend introduced us. I was still trying to get over Phoebe, she was trying to get over an abusive boyfriend." Mulder looked back to her. "And we tried to help each other as friends."

"And the two of you became lovers."

"Not intentionally. It just happened one night, after we had found out that a mutual friend was murdered. And it was the last thing I needed at the time."

"So you broke it off?"

"No, she did. She was having to deal with the loss of her parents, her ex-boyfriend's harassment, and her becoming a werewolf. It was too much, and she called off the sexual part of the relationship, but not the friendship. But we never really kept in touch regularly. I heard from her last about year ago, and that was a note just to let me know she was okay." Mulder paused. "It's nice to see her again."

"I see." Scully sounded neutral. <Best gal pal you used to sleep with, who left you because she was having a mental breakdown, and you haven't talked to her in almost a year. Perfectly logical to take her back with open arms.> "And what is this about the ring she keeps mentioning?"

"It was what apparently started her transformation. It's in one of the X-Files. Hers."

"Mulder, what is she to you?"

"She's a friend. Someone I care closely about." Mulder rubbed the sides of his nose tiredly. "Someone who needs my help."

Scully then said the thing that had weighed on her mind from the first moment she saw Jess. "Are you sure about that? It sounds like she's been taking care of herself." Scully took a deep breath. <He's not going to like what I'm going to say.> "Jess would be about Samantha's age. She also looks similar to her. Are you really trying to help Jess, or Samantha?"

"Scully, that's not fair." But Mulder didn't protest what she said.

* * * * * * *

Jess woke up in Mulder's bedroom. <Damn! I allowed myself to fall asleep. Stupid, stupid, stupid!> she berated herself. She sat up on the bed. Lindy was no where to be seen. She stood up and walked over to the window, looking over the street outside.

The door to the bedroom opened. Mulder stuck in his head. "Sleeping beauty awakens," he quipped.

Jess smiled as she turned to him. He had greeted her like that on one other occasion, the morning after they had spent their first night together. "Okay, where did you hide my shoes *this* time? I still have my bra on." She got up off the bed, running her fingers through her hair. "Where's Lindy?"

"She woke up about two hours ago. Scully took her to go get some clothes since you can't get at your things right now."

"So we're alone." Jess shifted her weight from one foot to the other uneasily and looked out the bedroom window again.

"How's your shoulder?" Mulder wanted to stay in safe territory. He was remembering the emotions and sensations that he and Jess once shared. <It's been so long since I've been with anybody. Scully could never have any romantic feelings for someone as screwed up as me. But Jess now, we may end up resuming the relationship where we left off. That may not be a bad thing.>

"It's completely healed. Doesn't even look like I was shot. I don't scar any more," she added softly. <He's as handsome as I remembered. It would be nice if somehow we found our way back to each other. But I'm not sure that would be the best thing for either of us.>

"But you can't heal the ones Jake gave you," Mulder spoke quietly.

Jess shook her head. "No. Looks like I get to keep whatever blemishes I had before I became a... you know."

"All this time," Mulder said sadly, "and you still blame yourself for what he did to you."

"No," Jess said softly. Still looking out the window, she continued. "A lot of therapy cured me of that. I don't blame myself for the hell that son of a bitch put me through, just for not getting out of that situation sooner. But they are scars; they are blemishes. I don't think I'll ever not be self-conscious of them."

Mulder crossed the room to put his hands on her shoulders. When they had first tried to make love, she had been scared that her ex-boyfriend would be right. She had been afraid that the scars would repulse him. "You are beautiful," he whispered. "You are sexy. Just keep telling yourself that." His arms slipped around her waist and brushed his lips againt the nape of her neck.

Jess sighed softly. Since she hadn't pushed him away, Mulder grew a little bolder. He started sucking on her earlobes and nipping at her neck. His hands were stroking her flat stomach, moving towards her breasts.

She leant back into his embrace, shivering. <God, I've missed this.> Jess turned in his arms and kissed him deep. She had wanted this for so long, but a nagging thought wouldn't leave her alone. Was she the one he *really* wanted? Feeling like a betrayer, she lowered her mental shields and brushed against his mind with a tendril of her thought.

What she sensed there made her stiffen. She violently pushed away from him, shields snapping back into place. "What the *hell* do you think you're doing, Mulder?"

Mulder looked confused. First Jess had been acting as if she wanted him, now she looked ready to murder him. "What are you talking about?"

"It's not me you want," she said with a shake of her head. Her voice softened in pity. "How long have you been in love with Scully, and not feel that you have the right to tell her?"

Mulder blinked at her. She was right. <How could she know?> Then what she had done hit him. Mulder had completely forgotten about the psychic abilities Jess had told him about. Anger tinged his voice. "I thought you said you never would do that unless it was a life or death situation."

Jess's eyes narrowed. Her voice was steel hard. "Yes. I did say that. If I had found out about this after we made love, I probably would killed you." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Listen, we're both too angry and hurt to talk sensibly. You go take a cold shower. I'm gonna find some way of working this anger off." She spun on her heel and tried to stomp out of the bedroom.

Mulder grabbed her arm, yanking her back. "No! We're finishing this now. What did you mean about me loving Scully and can't tell her?"

Jess spun and jerked her arm free from his grasp. "You want me to psychoanalyze you? Fine. Mulder, you're so obsessed with the past, you can't see the present. You feel like it should have been you who disappeared and not Samantha, that you should have either sacrificed yourself for her, or stopped it somehow. So to punish yourself, you screw up any and every shot at happiness that you have."

Mulder's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't the one who ended our relationship."

Jess's eyes also narrowed. "Touche. But my only excuse is that I had only a few months to get used to what I now am."

"And I had three hours to deal with it," was the retort.

"But you suspected, and didn't say anything." Jess folded her arms. "I was hurt, so I ran."

"You could have confided in me."

Jess thought about that for a moment. She started to shake with suppressed laughter.

"And *what's* so funny about that?" Mulder demanded.

"I'm sorry." Jess said, still giggling. "I just had a mental picture of what that might have looked like. 'Dearest, I love and trust you as never have anyone before. Oh, by the way, I change into a blood thirsty hell beast when the moon is full.'"

Something about the way she said that struck Mulder as hilarious. Mulder snorted, losing the hold on the anger and hurt that he felt.

That tore what little control Jess had left. She let go and let loose the emotions of the last twenty four hours in a peal of laughter.

Her laughter was infectious. Mulder gave up on holding back and joined her.

That's when the rift between them finally healed. Their relationship would never be about sex, in fact it never had. It had been about the fact that they were two people who life had kicked in the teeth, and were just trying to survive, and perhaps one day, live again.

When they managed to regain control, they were sitting back to back on the bed. Mulder took a deep breath. "Okay, blood thirsty hell beast..."

Jess turned and smacked him on the shoulder. "Stop that, or you're going to start me off again. And my stomach muscles can't take any more." She became serious for one brief moment. "You're right about me running away. Forgive me?"

"Yes. ...And you were right about me punishing myself. And my feelings about Scully. It's just how do I tell her?"

"I can't answer that one, Mulder. All I know is that if you don't tell her, you're eyeballs are gonna explode out of sexual frustration." She looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh. "So what do you have for breakfast?"

* * * * * * *

Scully guided Lindy out of the discount chain store. She had gotten Lindy a few things - a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a few undergarments.

The little girl was shy to begin, but warmed up to her quickly. Within a half hour, Scully had been told about her teachers, her friends, and her cat. "Why isn't Jess with us?" she asked.

Scully smiled and looked into her wide blue eyes. "Jess was still asleep when we left. I thought it would be a nice surprise if you had some new things so she wouldn't have to worry about it."

"She worries 'bout me a lot," Lindy said. "Almost like she's my mommy."

"Well, that's what mommies do," Scully said, pulling her car keys out of her purse.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but I believe you dropped this," a strange male voice said.

Scully turned to see two men in trench coats. Thug Number One was standing angled so that passerbys couldn't see the gun Thug Number Two was holding on them. "Get into the van quietly and there will be no trouble."

Lindy was trying to hide behind Scully's legs. Scully reached back behind her to take Lindy's hand. "Come on Lindy. Everything's going to be okay."

* * * * * * *

The van pulled into the darkened garage of a compound on the outskirts of DC. "We caught the females, sir." Thug Number One said.

"Bring them out," said the man in charge. Thug Number Two ushered Scully and Lindy out of the side door of the van.

The man in black turned to look at his captives. "Idiot!" he hissed. "The girl is one, but not the woman." He stared at Scully. "In fact, you've compromised our mission even more. This is Agent Mulder's partner. Put them into separate cells." He looked back into the shadows after the pair was marched off. "Now what do we do?"

"They are pack animals. One needs the other to thrive." The Cigarette Smoking Man stepped into the light. "The adult will search out the juvenile," he said, lighting a cigarette. "All that is required is a little patience."

* * * * * * *

"So when's the take out getting here, Mulder?" Jess asked. "And why can't you keep food in your apartment like a normal human?"

"Few minutes for the Chinese and there is food here." Mulder looked out the window, watching for the delivery boy.

"Two Budweisers, a sack of sunflower seeds, and a jar of fish flakes for your goldfish don't count as food."

Mulder looked back at Jess with a grin. That was the smart mouthed woman he remembered. "Hmmph. Such manners. Be nice, especially since I got you sweet and sour pork."

A knock on the door interrupted their banter. Mulder opened the door expecting it to be the Take-out Taxi. He didn't expect to see the professionally dressed informant standing in the hallway holding a large white paper bag. "What are you doing here?"

"You were the ones who ordered in instead of going out for dinner." Deep Throat walked into the apartment, putting the bag down on the table. He offered his hand to Jessica. "It's a pleasure as always, Miss Leahs."

Jess blinked as she shook hands. "Have we met?"

"I have seen you before, but you probably have never seen me."

Mulder stepped inbetween the two, trying to shield Jess. She shouldered her way around him and sat down on the couch. "So you know what I am," she commented amiably. "How long have you had a tail on me?"

"From the moment you bought the ring" Deep Throat said, "For many years, experiments have been run on test subjects, a eugenics program, if you will."

"And what does that have to do with Lindy and Jess?" Mulder asked.

Jess was sitting quietly, absorbing everything. "I think I know. She and I are test subjects, aren't we?"

Deep Throat nodded. "We were unaware that the male that created Lindy had certain perversions when he was altered. We were watching both you and her closely when your paths crossed."

"So Jess was chosen at random," Mulder said.

"If anything, she chose herself," Deep Throat corrected. "Several rings were laced with certain bio-chemical agents designed to induce the Change in the subject and distributed at random."

Jess nodded. "Like the second hand store where I bought it. But why are you here now?"

"You and Lindy were to be brought in for an examination. However, your resistance was not taken into account." Deep Throat took a slip of paper out of the inside pocket and put it down on the table.

"Brought in for an examination," Jess repeted. "Oh my God, Lindy!"

"Wait a moment," Mulder interrupted. "Scully and Lindy went out less than two hours ago. If they were missing, how would you know about it so quickly?"

"Agent Mulder, you know that your apartment has been bugged. And Miss Leahs astutely guessed that she was being followed. Your work and your friends have made certain people very uncomfortable. What makes you think that you are not also under constant observation?"

Jess stood up, her face set resolutely. "I'd better go find them." Snagging the paper off the table, she walked past Deep Throat to the door.

"Miss Leahs, a word of warning." Jess turned and looked at Deep Throat, who was regarding her with deadly serious eyes. "You and your little girl are two of the strongest werewolves created. That makes this doubly dangerous for you. Certain interests want you under tighter control, to study your full potential. But if they feel you are a large enough threat, they will not hesitate to kill you." Mulder's informant walked to the door and opened it. "I suguest that you don't go alone," was the last thing he said before disappearing into the shadows in the hallway.  
.  
* * * * * * *

Mulder and Jess stood beside of the chain linked fence. The compound was quiet. There was no sign of any guards.

Jess looked at Mulder. "Up and over?"

Mulder nodded. He tossed his jacket over the barbed wire at the top. "Ladies first?"

Jess looked around. "I don't see no lady here."

"Cute, hell beast." Mulder laced his fingers together to boost Jess up higher.

"Don't bother, Mulder." She took a few steps back, and went at the fence at a run. She jumped, climbed the fence like a cat climbing up curtains, and dropped to the other side.

"Show off." Mulder scrambled over the fence. As he hit the ground, he heard the distant bark of dogs. He looked up to see two doberman pinchers running full speed towards him. "Uh oh!"

Jess watched the approaching guard dogs without concern. "Don't worry." She allowed the animals to approach within twenty feet and then Changed halfway.

Mulder looked at her in awe. What had been an average looking woman now did look like a blood thristy hell beast. Four inch talons graced strong hand/paws. Pointed ears were pinned back to a skull covered with jet black fur. And from a dripping muzzle extended ivory fangs.

The werewolf looked at the oncoming dogs and snarled, exposing those fangs to the root in a deafening roar. The guard dogs took one look at her, turned tail, and ran away whimpering.

Mulder turned back to look at Jess, who had Changed back to full human in an eyeblink. She shruged her shoulders at him. "Let's get moving, Mulder."

They ran across the field to the building. Sliding across the wall, they edged towards the door. Mulder tried the door. It was unlocked so they passed through it unhindered.

Inside was dimly lit. A van stood in the center of the otherwise empty room. Jess was walking towards it, taking deep breaths. At one point she dropped to her hands and knees to place her nose inches from the concrete. She stayed like that unmoving for several seconds.

"Well?" Mulder asked, standing a few feet behind her.

She pushed up off her arms and turned on her knees to face him. "They were here, a few hours... Mulder! Look out!"

Mulder turned as the tranquilizer dart pierced his shoulder. He heard Jess scream a bezerker war cry and saw her charge at the gunman.

"Stop!" came the voice of Thug Number One. Mulder managed to turn his head, despite the fact that air now seemed to have the consistancy of molasses. He saw a man holding a gun aimed at his head. "One false move, and he dies."

And the last thing he saw was Jess raising her hands in the air before he lost his balance and faded to black.

* * * * * * *

Jess was marched down the hallway, a gun pressed firmly into the small of her back by Thug Number Two. She had seen Mulder go down, but wasn't sure if he was drugged, wounded seriously, or just faking. The thugs had herded her away before she could do anything.

They came to the doorway. Her captor knocked and then shoved her forward through the doors.

Jess scanned the room, noting the table, three chairs. There was Scully, gagged and tied to one of the chairs. The second one was empty. There was no sign of Lindy or Mulder. There was, however, another person in the room. A man in a dark suit sat in the third. "Welcome, Miss Leahs."

Jess was forced into one of the chairs. Her hands were tied behind her back. "What do you want with me and Lindy?"

"With you Miss Leahs. The child is disposable."

Jess's eyes widened. "Why? Why are you going to kill her?"

"We need your kind now, and her age, fear, and lack of the control and talents you have makes her... undesirable."

<He knows what we are.> "You want to use me as a soldier." Realization shone in her eyes. "A weapon," Jess said bitterly.

"The ultimate weapon," the man in black corrected her. "Strength, savagery, speed, and the loyalty of a wolf, the intelligence of the human, and a supernatural ability for mind reading and self-healing. What more could you ask for in a warrior or a bodyguard?"

"Who said I would be your warrior?" Jess said defiantly.

"My dear Miss Leahs, your precious Agent Mulder is dead." Scully's eyes widened as she heard those words. "As for Agent Scully, she soon will be. You have no one left to help you, no where left to hide. And if you are not willing, there are other methods we could use to produce more of your kind. Your saliva harvested and injected perhaps..." the man mused. "You see, you have no options."

"Except for one."

"And what would that be, Miss Leahs?"

"You tied us up using rope, and I have *very* fine control over the Change." She smiled sweetly. "I've been sawing through this rope with my claws throughout our little chat." Her right fist slammed into the jaw, knocking him out cold. "Idiot," Jess muttered under her breath as she started to untie Scully.

Scully stood up and rubbed her raw wrists. She ripped the gag from her mouth. "How did you do that?" She walked over to the unconscious man and removed his gun.

"You don't believe what I am," Jess said. "So I won't waste my breath." She knelt down and started to tie up the man in black.

"I believe that you have been altered genetically and experimented on. I don't believe in your psychic abilities or your claim that you can become a wolf at will." Scully edged over to the door.

"We can debate this later. Let's go find Mulder and Lindy."

"He said Mulder was dead," Scully said tonelessly.

Something in her tone of voice made Jess look at her sharply. "You love him, don't you?"

At Scully's miserable nod, Jess continued. "I know this isn't the time to talk about this, but I might not get the chance to afterwards. Go after him. Let him know how you feel. You'll end up with one hell of a man."

Scully shook her head. She repeated the phrase that rang through her mind. "He said that Mulder is dead."

"He lied. I know you don't believe in my powers, but I could sense easily that he lied. He's out there, somewhere nearby." She gestured to the doors. "Let's go."

They both went into the hallway and started checking the adjoining rooms. Scully looked into the glass square embedded in the door. "Here," she said, three rooms down from where they were held.

Jess and Scully kicked the door open. They saw Mulder and Lindy gagged and tied to chairs. Jess untied Lindy as Scully released Mulder. <This is almost *too* easy. Almost as if we're being tested,> Jess thought to herself.

Lindy threw her arms around Jess, sobbing. "Shhhh, it's okay," she whispered into the little girl's hair. "C'mon, why don't we get the hell out of here," she said, swinging Lindy around to ride piggyback.

"Thought you'd never ask, hell beast," Mulder said. He checked the hallway and gestured them forward. He took the lead point and Scully took the rear guard.

* * * * * * *

The Smoking Man had watched events unfold from a remote area via live video feed. <She has no idea that she is being tested,> he thought, taking a drag off his Morely.

She was unaware of the fact that she was part of a lifelong experiment. She and a few others were created at random. She and her little girl had been watched up close and from afar for most of their lupine life.

<Now it's time to see how she reacts when confronted with another of her own kind.> The fact that the FBI agents would escape was a given. What was in question was if the werewolves would. How far would the creatures take the impluse of self-sacrifice before it lost to the instinct of self-preservation, and exactly how much humanity was left in these werewolves.

* * * * * * *

They pushed through another set of doors into what looked like a holding area. Inside this room were many animal cages, like the ones found at an animal shelter or a laboratory. Almost all of them were empty, except for one holding the largest grey husky Jess had ever seen.

Jess and Lindy stared fascinated at the large animal. And the dog stared back equally intent. Jess laid her palm flat against the bars. The dog sniffed at it and then laid its paw in the mirror image of hers. Lindy reached for the latch of the cage.

Jess stepped back and the dog leapt free from its confines. Both Scully and Mulder took an involuntary step back from the beast. The dog for its part, looked happy to be out of the cage. It stretched, sat and scratched at its neck.

"Poor boy," Jess cooed. She and Lindy scratched behind the animal's ears. "Cramped in there, wasn't it?"

"Jess, this is wonderful Kodak moment, but shouldn't we be leaving?" Mulder asked.

"Sooner done than said, Mulder." Lindy and she followed Mulder and Scully out of the room. The dog trailed behind.

They turned the corner to see an open door leading outside. "Almost there," Mulder said.

Lindy bolted towards the door. "Race ya!" she yelled with the entuhusiasm of a girl running against her sibling.

"Lindy!" Jess shouted. "Get back here!"

Lindy stopped just as the man in black stepped between her and the doorway.

Mulder and Scully aimed their guns.

He smiled. He aimed a high powered rilfe between Lindy's eyes. "Drop your weapons."

Mulder and Scully complied. Jess glared, but she knew there was nothing she could do.

Before she could consider her options, a streak of gray fur darted across her field of vision. The dog she released was in front of their captor, hackles raised and snarling.

The man shifted his aim from Lindy to the beast. The dog crouched and prepared to spring. Lindy instantly reacted by running for Jess the moment the creature leapt.

Their captor screamed and threw up his left arm in an attempt to defend himself, forgetting about the gun in his panic. As the dog tore out his throat, he dropped the weapon.

The gun fired when it hit the cement floor, directly into some barrels filled with flammable chemicals. Mulder and Scully were divided from Jess and Lindy by a raging inferno in seconds.

"Jess!" Mulder yelled. He could feel himself being mesmerized by the dancing flames.

"Mulder! We'll be okay!" Jess yelled back. "Get Scully and get the hell out!"

"She's right, Mulder," Scully shouted. "This place will go up in seconds." She pulled Mulder in the direction of the exit. Mulder shook off his fear and ran.

They made it outside and behind a car parked twenty yards away before the roof blew off the building.

* * * * * * *

Mulder sat vigil in front of the Reflection Pool. After answering the fire marshall's questions, he and Scully had searched Washington D.C. all day. No sign of Jess or Lindy.

"Still here, Mulder?" came Scully's quiet voice. "How late are you going to stay?" She sat down beside him on the bench.

"Until I know for certain."

"Mulder, the only body they found was male. Lindy and Jess must have gotten out."

"They found those canine corpses, Scully. Who knows what form they were in after we left them." Mulder gazed searchingly into her face. "But you don't believe they were werewolves, do you?"

"Mulder, I want to believe, but I can't." Scully stared out into the night. "I know what I saw was a reality, but I'm not brave enough to open myself to that reality. If I did, who knows what I could trust?"

"You can *always* trust me, Scully." Mulder's voice was soft, but with a hint of reproach.

"Mulder, I do trust you, more than anyone. It's just..." Scully broke off at the sound of a twig breaking. They both looked towards the pool.

A huge black dog, followed by a smaller yellow form, stepped out of the shadows, carrying something in its mouth. They sat there quietly for a moment, and then the black one tossed its head back in long mournful howls. The golden one cried in counterpoint.

The creatures were either unaware of their presence, or just didn't care. They just sat there in the moon lit night, baying for all they were worth. When the last howl faded, the large one bowed the massive head, nose brushing the earth, whimpering quietly. The smaller one licked it's face comfortingly.

Mulder couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Jess?" he whispered.

The dogs leapt up as if shot at. They turned towards his voice and dropped into a defensive crouch. The black one moved in front of the golden one, defending it. Snarls filled the air until they got a good look at Mulder. Their lips slid over ivory fangs and their stances relaxed.

"Mulder, what the hell are you doing?" Scully whispered fiercely.

He had gotten up and was walking towards the beasts. The black one had sat down and was regarding his approach with calm eyes. The golden one skittered back to the brush. Mulder stopped about two feet away, knelt down, and held out his hand. The dark dog looked at it for a moment and then stretched its head out.

Scully watched the connection being made. The scene reminded her of the first man who earned the trust of a wolf, the animal that became the ancestor of the common dog.

Its fur was extremely soft in Mulder's hand. Mulder scratched behind the large ears. The beast's tail wagged slightly.

The scene lasted no longer than a few heartbeats. The dog pulled away from Mulder. It seemed to look regretfully at him, and then her. In a black and gold flash, the animals were running away from them, disappearing into the night.

Mulder stood back up and motioned Scully to join him. "We can leave now. I have my answer," he said looking at what the animals had dropped.

There, washed in the full moon light, lay the open locket. Out of the locket peered the smiling faces of Lindy and Jess.

Finis. 

 

* * *

 

Disclaimer and various legal gobbledygook I am required to write - I only own Amanda, Lindy, Jess Leahs, Dmitri Krychekov, and various generic background characters. Everyone else is 1013's property.  
I plagiarized myself again, the first part of second section is from Loup Garou VI - the Loss.  
The majority of this was written before US Season 4 episode "Demons." Spoilers are for most of Season 4, special emphasis on "Tunguska," "Terma," "Memento Mori," "Sum Zero," "Demons."  
Synopsis - Jess and Mulder learn some disturbing information about their families, disturbing enough to almost destroy Jess's life.

* * *

Loup Garou IX- Family  
by Shael ()  
http://www.imadethis.org/loupgarou.htm

"Asking nothing in return. Nobody does anything for nothing, unless they're being paid by someone else."  
\- A. Krycek "Loup Garou VI - the Loss"

"How can I be assured that this won't happen again, that I won't be taken? *Family* is very important to me."  
\- J. Leahs "Loup Garou IV - Lifemates"

* * * * * * *

"Has there been any sign of my son?"

The young man who served as his aide consulted his notes. "Aside from report from the gulag in Tunguska, and a brief sighting in St. Petersburg, he has not returned to Russia. The most recent ones involve his lover in the area of Washington D.C."

"And my granddaughter?"

"I have been unable to trace her whereabouts as of yet, sir." He was eager to please his new boss, and admitting to failure was not what he wanted to do. "All we are certain of is that the child left at the hospital that was claimed to be her, in actuality, was not."

Eyes every bit as green as his son's stated out the window. When his only child disobeyed his wishes and chose a "career" in the FBI, following in his father's footsteps, he had all but disowned him. He wanted a life free of shadowy entanglements for his boy. Although he was involved in a different section of the Project than his son had been trained for, he had connections and followed his son's life with a mixture of parental pride and anger. And then, when young Alexander had been assigned to work with Fox Mulder, things fell apart. After helping him diffuse a hostage situation, inadvertently having his cover blown, and himself almost blown up, he had disappeared.

His son resurfaced occasionally. Fencing documents here, working with a paranoid militia there. And then there was the werewolf experiment. But now he seemed to have found a good woman who loved him for who and what he was and was trying to raise a family, if the Consortium would leave him alone. He and, for an unknown reason, his American counterpart had eloquently argued against Krycek being terminated. He had almost broken down and contacted his son when he heard his pregnant lover had been abducted. And his heart ached when he heard that his son's fiance had been returned, but not his newborn child. But pride and anger had won out and he had held his silence. Through all these troubles, his son never turned to him for help, and he would be damned if he showed the first sign of weakness.

"Sir?" The sound of his assistant's voice brought him back to the here and now. It reminded him that his new aide was unused to working in this dark underworld. A seasoned assistant would wait for orders silently. "What do you wish to be done?"

Although it meant living with a continuous heartache, he wouldn't demean himself by seeking out his son. "We watch and wait, for the moment."

* * * * * * *

Mulder and Scully weren't sure why they were called to Skinner's apartment to deliver the results of the parentage test on Amanda. Skinner's attitude towards the pair had shifted from suspicion to protectiveness, although exactly why was a mystery. He let them in without a word.

Krycek, Jess and Lindy were out on the balcony. All three were looking at the stars. Lindy's elbows rested on the railing of the balcony, Jess's hands on Lindy's shoulders, Krycek's right hand tracing Jess's spine. "They're here," Skinner called out to them.

The three of them turned and came in without a word. Jess and Krycek sat down on the couch, Lindy easing onto Jess's lap.

It was time to get the news out into the open. "According to the results of the test there is..." Scully began.

"No possible way the child we called Amanda could be our missing daughter," Krycek finished.

Scully, Mulder, and Skinner stared dumbfounded that they were already aware of that fact. "How did you know?" Mulder finally asked.

"We knew from the moment we saw her," Jess sighed. "She had hazel eyes. Neither Alex nor I have any relatives we know of that have that eye color. That gene just isn't in our families."

Krycek also sighed. "When I was at the labs, there were always at least three females in their third trimester. The survival rate past the six months for infants was about thirty percent. There would have been no problem in obtaining a dying baby werewolf to try to fool us. If she had blue, green or brown eyes, we would have fallen for it."

"Let me get this straight, Alex," Mulder said slowly, a grudging respect in his voice. "You knew that that child wasn't yours, and you still asked Jess bite you, to make you a werewolf again?" At Krycek's nod, Mulder asked the question they were all wondering about. "Then, why?"

Krycek rested a hand on Lindy gently. "She was somebody's daughter."

Mulder looked surprised. He expected that kind of selflessness from Jess. But Krycek?

Scully also looked surprised. "What are you going to do now?"

"We're hoping you'll be able to help us." Jess said. She paused to pull Lindy, half asleep and falling off her lap, tighter against her, almost afraid the young girl would be snatched out of her arms.

Krycek gestured to a thick manila folder laying on Skinner's coffee table. "We were able to get a hold of some information, but nothing we can trace. We'd like it if you could see what you can turn up."

Mulder reached for the file. Inside were medical reports, lab work results, growth charts, but no names of doctors or establishments. "I'll see what I can do. How did you get a hold of this?"

"Don't ask," snarled three voices - Jess's, Krycek's and Skinner's.

* * * * * * *

Hours later, after Mulder and Scully left, Krycek stood outside on the balcony again. <Is this how Mulder feels,> he wondered? <Does he spend hours staring into the sky, wondering where Samantha is, like I do Amanda?> The last time he had been here, he and Jess were running for their lives. In a moment of blind passion and hormonally expressed love, Jess had conceived his child. And then Jess was taken from him.

And returned, without their baby.

Three months later, he was offered information about the daughter he had never had a chance to hold. All he had to do was seduce Skinner and videotape the act. It had been a calculated blow, meant to remind him of the torture and rape he had endured at the hands of Alpha Wolf and to drive a wedge between him and Jess.

Jess had stumbled across the set up and almost bit both of his heads off. But she listened to his and Skinner's explanation, and understood the desperation that had led Krycek to make his decision. And Skinner felt a touch of pity for the young man who had more than paid for what he had done. No one could have foreseen what happened next, after they had gone through with the act. They had gotten their information and now had passed it on. Krycek only hoped something could be found that would lead them to Amanda.

"Alex," he heard. He glanced to his left to see that Skinner, after letting Mulder and Scully out, had joined him on the balcony. "Are you all right?" Skinner asked, leaning against the rail beside him.

Krycek smiled tiredly. Who would have thought that his ex-boss would turn out to be their ally, let alone their lover? "I haven't been 'all right' since I met that smoking bastard. Where's Jess?"

"Lindy had a nightmare. Jess went upstairs to comfort her." He looked at the young man who was still staring straight ahead. "Does that happen often?"

"Yeah," Krycek shrugged. "We're all still having nightmares at least once a week, sir." <Two weeks after I've slept with him and I'm still calling him 'sir',> he mentally laughed.

"In light of everything that's happened between us, you can call me Walter. In fact, I'd prefer it. And just thinking about what the two of you have been through gives me nightmares." Skinner lightly kissed the nape of Krycek's neck. "I don't suppose I could convince you and Jess to spend the night. Maybe comfort the two of you if you have nightmares?"

Krycek shivered as Skinner's warm breath in his ear made goose bumps ripple across his flesh. "Maybe," he said turning to look at the older man, a glint in his eyes. "But I seem to end up handcuffed every time I'm here. Is that going to happen?"

Skinner smiled. "Only if you ask, boy" the AD whispered as he lowered his lips onto the lips of the beautiful young man standing before him.

Jess rounded the corner of the stairwell. She watched the two man slowly, sensuously kiss. When she suggested the threesome, she had expected it to be a one time event, not a long term relationship. But that's what it looked like it was going to be. Skinner wanted it. Krycek wanted it. And in a slightly shamed corner of her heart, she knew she would go along with it if that's what her lifemate wanted. Jess believed that she could grow to love Skinner almost as closely as she did Krycek, if only for the fact that he hadn't killed Krycek when he found out that they were together. But still, she had spent several nights laying awake, worrying while Krycek slumbered beside her, blissfully unaware. She turned possible outcomes over in her mind. Most of them didn't worry her. But there was one possible outcome that had her terrified. <Maybe we can make this work,> she thought as she went outside to join them. "I hate it when you two start without me," she mock growled.

Skinner laughed and put an arm around her. "How's Lindy?"

Jess leaned her temple against Krycek's chest. "Just her standard nightmare."

Skinner's eyebrows rose. "Standard nightmare?"

"Yeah." Jess closed her eyes. "She has nightmares about her life before she met me, about the creep who molested her. They're stress triggered. She'll be fine."

He was aware of the child's history of sexual abuse. Skinner did look a little guilty as he asked a question he had been worrying about. "Does it have anything to do with you three spending tonight here?"

Krycek snuggled in a little closer between the two of them. "No, more with what happened with that baby." He sighed. "I wonder who's she was."

Jess nodded. "So do I. And I hope someone else would do that for Amanda."

Skinner ran his hands up and down their spines. At the mention of their daughter, Jess and Krycek's faces fell. Maybe he could do something to distract them. "It's cold out here. Let's go inside."

Jess and Krycek nodded. The three of them still connected, they went back into the light of the apartment. As they passed the threshold, the could hear a quiet cry. "Alex?"

"I'll see what Lindy wants. Be back in a moment or two." As Jess and Skinner sat down on the couch, Krycek headed up the stairs. He walked down the hallway and pushed open the door to the bedroom.

Lindy sat up on the bed with her arms around her knees, the pensive look on her face half obscured by her long blond hair. She didn't look particularly scared, just thoughtful. <She's a beautiful child,> he thought. <No, she's a beautiful teenager,> he corrected mentally. Lindy, as close as they could figure, was somewhere between the ages of eleven and thirteen. <She's going to start breaking hearts soon, if she hasn't already,> he thought with a bit of parental protection. She may not be his daughter by blood, nor Jess's, but they both felt and acted like it.

He sat down on the bed beside her, giving her space if she wanted it. "Is something wrong, Lindy?"

"No," the girl sighed. She slid over next to Krycek, her arms still around her knees. She leaned against him for comfort. "Not with me, anyway. Jess is upset, though. She has been for the last few weeks."

Lindy was right, and you didn't have to be psychic to sense it. "I know," Krycek sighed. He hadn't been able to get Jess to talk about what had been bothering her. <It's not like there hasn't been any stress in our lives in the last year,> he thought. The pregnancy, the abduction, the birth would have been enough to cause anyone to be upset, to put it mildly.

And then there was the aftermath. She hadn't talked about them sleeping with Skinner or Krycek's return to werewolfdom. He was at peace with his decision to become a lycanthrope, as well as having sex with the Assistant Director. He had cautiously tried to broach both subjects many times, but she turned away, saying she wasn't ready to talk yet. It was the first time she had actively shut him out of her emotions.

Lindy looked him up and down with serious blue eyes. "I know what's troubling her."

Krycek looked at her shocked. "She's talked to you about it?" Lindy had been told in generic terms what had happened. She was willing to accept that Skinner would be around, but was still wary of him. He knew that Lindy and Jess were close, but he couldn't see the adult spelling out in detail her sex life to the child.

Lindy shook her head. "No, but I can sense it, read it in her mind. Can't you?"

He shook his head. "I can mindspeak like you. I can sense emotions like you. But I can't read thoughts like you. I'm just not strong enough. Do you do that often?"

Again Lindy shook her head. "I haven't done it for a long time. I don't like violating privacy like that. It makes me feel really tired afterwards and causes headaches too. But she's been so upset, I had to do *something!*"

"It's okay, Lindy. I know that you didn't mean any harm. Jess knows that too." Krycek returned to what Lindy said earlier. "So what's Jess worried about?"

Her light blue eyes regarded his green ones solemnly. "She's afraid she's gonna lose you."

"Lose me?" Krycek was stunned. "She's afraid that I'm going to leave her for Walter?" At Lindy's sober nod, he got off the bed. "Oh God, no wonder she's been so distant lately. I'd better go talk to her right now."

"No, Alex. Don't go downstairs yet," Lindy counseled. "Jess wants to deal with this her own way. She's gonna talk to him. Give them some time alone together."

* * * * * * *

Downstairs, Skinner eased his arms around Jess. She sighed and leaned her head against his chest. Skinner stroked her hair lightly.

Jess's brown eyes gazed frankly up at Skinner's equally brown ones. "What are we to you, Walter?"

"Huh?" he asked, not really paying attention to what she said. He had been focusing on how soft her hair was, how warm her body was, how wonderfully female she smelled, and how his arousal was slowly building.

Jess pushed back a little so she could look at him more easily. "What are Alex and I to you? Friends? Lovers? Sluts? Cheap dates? A diversion? A substitute for Sharon?" The flippancy in her voice couldn't disguise the fear.

He looked at her somewhat surprised. He couldn't tell her his true feelings, not yet at least. "I thought I made it clear what I want us to be. Lovers, if you'll let me be part of what you and Alex have." Skinner reached out and stroked her cheek. "What brought that out?"

Jess shut her eyes and sighed. "I guess what it comes down to is I'm afraid."

He understood clearly then. "Afraid that you'll lose Alex to me, that he'll stop loving you?"

Jess jerked back in surprise. "I didn't think I was that easy to read," she murmured.

Skinner smiled tenderly. For someone who had such an in control image, Jess could be easily frightened. "Back on the Farnsworth case, you weren't afraid you'd lose him to Agent Oldham. Why should I be any different?"

Jess sighed and looked down at her lap. "Alex told me that any feelings he had for her were long dead. She was another part of his past, like working for Cancerman. But you're part of the present, the here and now." She looked him in the eyes. "Watching you and him together that night was more than erotic, it was powerful. I had never seen him be so open, so vulnerable to anyone but me."

"And part of you was a bit jealous, and afraid that he'd choose me over you?" At Jess's nod, Skinner continued to comfort her. "He loves you, Jess. I could never come between the two of you. I may be part of your relationship for a long or short while, but you and he will always be together." Skinner pulled her back tight against his chest. "When I said I wanted the relationship to continue, I knew it was a package deal." He reclined against the couch, cradling her on his body. "And believe me, not only do I like his package, but yours as well." He nuzzled the top of her head. "I really want to make love to you, Jess. But only if you want it."

Jess opened her mouth to say something, but kissed him instead. It was a gentle, exploratory kiss for the most part, Jess uncertain how far to go, Skinner not wanting to push her for more than she was willing to give. He gently stroked the back of her head, allowing her to set the pace. Jess seemed to come to some sort of decision and pulled back for a moment to remove his glasses. Then she leaned in close to brush her lips against his cheeks, his nose, his forehead, and then his lips.

When her kisses became more insistent, Skinner pulled her tighter against him. He rolled over, lowering Jess to the floor. He gently reached for her breasts as his hips rubbed against hers. The first time they had sex, she had taken control early on. She had pleasured him without concern for the same for herself, a 'thank you' for him having been so gentle and sensitive to Krycek's situation. But now he wanted her to enjoy the sexual act with him, to prove to her that he hadn't slept with her only because he had been turned on by Krycek and it was too soon after Krycek's orgasm for him to respond sexually.

He could feel his cock throb as he found her pebbly nipples, tight and hard, through the soft cotton of her tee shirt. She arched underneath his touch. Her intense response to him through several layers of clothing made him wonder how responsive she could be to other stimuli. She had to be open minded when it came to her sexuality, or else he wouldn't be fondling her breasts right now.

Jess sat up and lifted her shirt over her head. Skinner also sat up, growling low in desire, and carefully unfastened her bra. He pulled her into his lap, stroking her lower back and ass before fastening his hot mouth onto her pink nipple. With a moan, Jess arched backwards as Skinner reached for her jeans. Urging her to lift up for a moment, he peeled them off her, taking her panties also. He drank in the sight of her naked body in all her glory. And despite some surface flaws that were not her fault, and the fact that she never would have the confidence to admit it, she did have a glorious body with full breasts and buttocks, sensitive hands and lips, and silky skin and hair.

Now it was Skinner's turn to moan as Jess unbuttoned his shirt. Jess slid the shirt off him, running her hands up his bare back. Jess leaned forward and kissed his neck and slowly began to work her way down to his chest. Skinner growled softly as Jess tentatively began to lick his nipples. He urged her up again, this time shedding the rest of his clothes. Then, much to Jess's surprise, Skinner silently rolled her onto her stomach. Kneeling between her legs, he massaged Jess's shoulders, rubbing his cock between her asscheeks. She smiled lazily as her lover's hands traced down her body, expecting him to tease her clitoris and vagina. However, she began to panic when she felt him rub around her anus.

Skinner felt her tense beneath him, not from surprise or expectation, but fear. He ran his hands up and down her back in an attempt to relax her. "What did I do wrong?"

The body beneath him shuddered. "You couldn't have known," Jess whispered, staring straight ahead.

Skinner wasn't sure what she was talking about. He moved to one side as Jess rolled over to face him. But when he saw the scars on her abdomen, it made sense. "Did Jake....?"

"Rape me anally?" Jess finished for him. "Yes. He'd do that whenever I had my period. He always warned me that if I valued our relationship, and my health, I wouldn't get pregnant. Then he'd turn around and be angry that I would bleed." She curled into a protective ball. "He would say what the thought of vaginal sex at that time of the month disgusted him , but he needed release."

Skinner softly placed a hand on her shoulder. "And he would be less than gentle?" he asked.

"Jake didn't have a gentle bone in his body," Jess barked with a bitter laugh. She rolled back onto her stomach. "The best I could ever hope for would be the bruises would be under my clothes and that I could walk normally the next day," she said matter of factly. She drew a sobering breath. "I was really screwed up then."

Skinner gently ran his hands through her hair, massaging her scalp. "But you got out of there. That's the important thing." His hand moved to slide up and down her spine. Then he kissed the back of her neck. Jess sighed, relaxing under Skinner's touch. He grew bolder and ran his tongue down to the small of her back. Jess gasped and shivered. He laid down on top of her, and whispered into her ear. "If you don't want to try this, all you have to do is roll over or shove me away."

"No," she whispered, rubbing her cheek against his. "I trust you. I wouldn't have let you see me Changed if I didn't. I know you don't mean to hurt me. Just go slow."

Skinner turned and licked at her ear. "I wouldn't go any other way." He sat up and grabbed his slacks. He watched her visibly relax when he produced a small tube of Astroglide and squirted a generous amount of the gel onto his fingers. Skinner raised his eyebrows. "He did you dry?"

Jess shook her head. "He used just enough so I wouldn't be severely torn, like I was the first time, but it still hurt like hell."

<'Severely torn like the first time? Still hurt like hell?'> Skinner thought. <That son of a bitch must have barely lubed himself and then just shoved his dick in without stretching her first.> She had been viciously violated, the same as Krycek had been. Skinner only hoped he could overcome the hurtful memories and displace them with more pleasant ones.

Making sure the gel was warm, he gently began to trace the cleft of her ass. When she instinctively trembled, he whispered softly in her ear. "If I hurt you, let me know and I'll stop." She nodded and he kissed her hair. "I don't know if Jake ever did this for you, but when you feel pressure against your anus, clench like you were trying to push me out."

Jess took an deep breath and nodded again. Skinner kissed the back of her neck reassuringly and knelt again between her legs. With a deliberate gentleness, he spread her legs wide apart and placed a pillow from the couch under her stomach. Again he began to tease her anus, resting his finger against the puckered opening. As he began to press against her, Jess took a deep breath and pushed back like she had been instructed.

She gasped in surprise at how easily his finger slid into her. Skinner lazily rubbed with one finger, and then slid a second into her. He smiled when he felt her press back against his hand as he spread his fingers wide. Oiling himself with his other hand, he pulled out of Jess and leaned forward over her back. "Just like a moment ago," he whispered as he pressed the head of his cock against her anus.

Jess made a slight squeak as the glans popped inside of her. "Am I hurting you?" Skinner asked, concerned.

Jess took a deep breath and closed her eyes, gauging the sensation running through her. There was a delicious pressure, but no pain. When Jess shook her head, Skinner slowly began to thrust, driving himself deeper into her hot body. Soon he was buried to the root. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted to his knees, bringing Jess with him.

Jess moaned. He felt so hard and so good inside her. One hand moved from her waist to cup and torment her nipples, stroke her flat stomach, and play with her pubic hair. Then his fingers began to stroke her clitoris, first light and slow, and then with an increasing speed. And when he started to thrust in earnest, the novel stimulation soon had Jess writhing against him. "Don't stop!" Her breathing grew shallow and rapid. "Walter! Oh God!" she cried out. "Is this what you put Alex through?"

The thought of Krycek watching, or better yet, taking part brought Skinner dangerously close to coming. He rubbed her clit harder, wanting to hear her scream in delight before he finished off.

Five seconds later, he got his wish. He felt her muscles begin to contract around his cock as she threw her head back against his shoulder and screamed and went limp in his arms. And then he was grasping her hips, exploding with a cry of his own.

They stayed kneeling for a few moments, too overcome to move. But eventually, still inside of her, Skinner gently eased Jess and himself back to the ground. He kissed the nape of her neck and her cheek. "Oh God, Walter," she moaned quietly as he withdrew. Skinner lay down beside Jess, surprised that her eyes filling with tears. "I had no idea that it could feel so good," she whispered.

His eyes softened. As Jess started to cry, he pulled her close and let her. <She's as damaged as Alex,> he thought. <She's just a lot better at hiding it.>

* * * * * * *

<This is going to break Jess's heart,> Mulder thought. <She loves that bastard, and he betrayed her.> As much as he didn't want to cause her pain, he felt he had to tell her what he had found out. So he had called Jess to his apartment to talk to her. Actually, he paged her. For some reason, she wasn't answering her phone. <Maybe she already knows,> he mused.

Scully had left to go spend a week with her mother. When he awoke alone this morning, a large plain envelope had been slid under his door at some point in the night. When he opened it, all it contained was a picture. But what a picture. The grainy, black and white images were of Skinner and Krycek out on the balcony, wearing the same clothes they had been last night, could be made out clearly. As could what they were doing.

There was a knock on the door. He opened it to Jess. "Hi Mulder. What do you want?"

"Come in, Jess, and sit." Jess took a seat on the desk chair. Mulder took the couch. "I have been given some information I think you should know about."

Jess looked excited and concerned at the same time. "What, Mulder?"

<She's going to explode when she hears this.> He looked away from her, unable to face her eye-to-eye and tell her this. "I think that there might be something going on between Krycek and Skinner." He took a deep breath. "Something sexual."

"Oh, that," Jess commented. She sounded disappointed, as if she had been expecting news about Amanda. She also sounded slightly embarrassed. "I know all about it."

Mulder turned to Jess so fast, he almost gave himself whiplash. "Jess, you *know* what happened between them?"

"Yeah," came the reply. She shrugged her shoulders slightly, an embarrassed smile haunting her lips. "I know. Hell, I was there when it started."

Mulder's mouth dropped open. "'There when it *started?*'" He couldn't see sweet, little Jess, that sexually shy, scarred woman he had dated, living out one of his videos. "You, Krycek *and* Skinner?!?!?"

His tone put her on the defensive. "Mulder, it wasn't like Alex and I woke up one day, felt our sex life was boring, and decided to boink Walter for the hell of it." Jess sighed and leaned her head back against his couch, baring her throat and closing her eyes.

Mulder was struck by that movement. She was being her most trusting with him, physically and emotionally, as she had always been. It was the sacred basis of their friendship. Either one of them could divulge their darkest secret and not worry about the other being indiscrete or jugdemental. He would try his hardest to honor her trust. "Okay, how did it happen, hell beast?"

She was quiet for a while, making Mulder wonder if she was not going to answer. "Alex was contacted by our favorite chain smoker," she eventually said "He wanted Alex to tape him and an unknowing Skinner having sex, blackmail material. In return, he would give Alex some info about Amanda. I was lured out of town on a false pretext by one of the Cancerman's lackeys. I saw through it too quickly and got home and interrupted the proceedings." Her dark eyes opened and sought his. "There were things that happened to Alex that you don't know about, things that he couldn't talk about until recently. I couldn't let him face what he was about to do alone."

"So you helped deceive Skinner."

Jess's eyes narrowed, but she softened the look with a smile. "Mulder, give your boss some credit. He knew that he was being set up. And give Alex some credit too. Before we did anything, he told us about the hidden camera." Jess sighed again and studied the ceiling. "They went through with it. Walter spent the rest of the night, and things happened, but weren't caught on film. Later on, Alex handed over the tape, and I took it back and destroyed it in front of Walter."

"And that's how you got those papers." At Jess's nod, he continued. "I understand why you and Krycek went through with it, but Skinner? Did he say why he went through with it?"

"Yeah," Jess said cautiously. "But I can't tell you why." Her lips quirked into a half smile. "Betrayal of trust."

Mulder's head thudded back against the wall. "I know about that. I just have a hard time believing that you and Krycek would fuck with Skinner for just a handful of papers."

"Mulder, I would fuck Cancerman in an eye blink if it led to getting my daughter back. And don't look so horrified. I *know* you would do the same if it meant regaining Samantha."

"Yeah, I would," Mulder admitted. "I hope it never comes to that." He regarded her seriously. "Jess, what do you feel towards Skinner?"

She threw her hands in the air. "I don't know," she said frustrated. Jess stood and began pacing the room like a caged animal. "At first, I thought I only slept with him because I was subconsciously trying to thank him for not hurting Alex and playing out a fantasy. I expected a 'slam, bam, thank you sir and ma'am' situation."

"But you're developing other feelings."

"Ooooh yeah." Jess fell back onto the chair. "I'm warring between jealousy, lust, affection, and God only know's what other emotions. And I'm also afraid that I'll lose Alex." She sighed using her whole body.

Mulder shook his head sadly. Jess had had so many problems with men, he didn't want to see her hurt further. "God, I wish I could help you with that one."

Jess relaxed further into the chair. "So what are you going to do with the file?"

"I'm planning on giving it to some friends of mine, a government watchdog group called the Lone Gunmen." Jess wasn't going to like what Mulder had to say next. "I also want to give it to my U.N. contact."

Jess's eyebrows lifted. "Covarrubias?" At Mulder's nod, she frowned, narrowed her eyes, and flared her nostrils in a snort. "Mulder, you know that I don't trust her."

"Jess, not one minute ago, you said you'd do the wild thing with Cancerman if it meant you get your daughter back. Now you're letting a personal dislike get in your way."

"Mulder, it's more than personal," Jess snorted. "She knows a lot more than she lets on. Have you told her what I am?"

"No."

"But that night we met, she was terrified of me. That meant she had to have some knowledge of what I was beforehand."

"Jess, we've had this argument too many times to count. You asked me to help you find your daughter. Now let me do it."

"Okay," Jess sighted. She glumly noted that Mulder always referred to Amanda as "your daughter" not "your and Krycek's daughter." He acknowledged her pain, but not her lifemate's. Skinner trusted Krycek and Scully also did to some degree. But it looked like Mulder would always have a lingering distrust buried under the surface.

They sat in silence for a few moments, not certain what was safe to speak of. Mulder eventually broke the quiet. "How's your brother and his wife?"

Jess smiled. "Wonderful. Annie's due in about three weeks. Michael is besides himself with anxiousness. According to the sonogram, it'll be a boy. We're planning to fly out to San Jose in about a week, so we can be there when Mikey Jr. is born." She looked at Mulder curiously. "When are you and Scully planning to have kids?"

"We're worrying more about when we're getting married than kids," Mulder snorted.

"And when is that going to happen?"

"Soon, hopefully."

Jess looked at him gently. "And why are you waiting?"

Mulder turned the question back at her. "Why are you and Krycek waiting?"

Jess smiled ruefully. "You know why. We're living on the edge of a cliff. We don't dare do anything that might jeopardize Amanda or Lindy, or draw too much attention to ourselves."

"And I can't do anything to jeopardize Dana. I won't risk losing her."

Jess sighed. "So status quo remains."

* * * * * * *

When Jess finished talking to Mulder, she went back home to Krycek and filled him in on their conversation. "So what do you want to do?" she asked, seeking guidance.

Krycek frowned, thinking. "We let Mulder give her the information, but I think we should also make our feelings towards her clear."

Jess nodded. "That's what I thought. So I guess we take a short trip to New York."

A wistful look crossed Krycek's green eyes. "I grew up for the most part in New York."

Jess looked at Krycek in surprise. She had never really gotten him to explain fully how or why he first became involved with the Consortium. And he never talked about growing up. He always got that same wistful expression whenever Jess talked about her and Rachel spying on Michael and his friends and how Michael got revenge on his nosy little sisters. But he never said a thing about where he grew up, childhood friends, or family stories. "Really?" Jess said, uncertain how to far to probe.

"Yeah. Father worked there, and he brought Mother and I from St. Petersburg, then it was called Leningrad, when I was about three. I grew up like any other American kid, but with constant reminders from Father that I was Russian, and that was where my loyalties should lie."

"That must have been tough," Jess said, thinking of all the 'there's a Red under every bed' propaganda she had grown up with. She put her hands on his shoulders.

"Yeah," he sighed. "After we had been here about five years, Mother grew sick. The doctors said she had inoperable brain cancer." Krycek closed his eyes, his forehead leaning against hers. Even after all this time, he still couldn't think about her without crying. "She lived for two years after she was diagnosed. I spent most of my time with her, right up to the end." He felt two warm arms encircle him, comforting him.

"Even before Mother died, Father threw himself into his work, ignoring me. I look a lot like Mother, so I was a constant reminder of her. I spent so many years trying to get him to notice me. He worked for the same people Cancerman works for, but his primary focus was to protect Russian interests. As soon as I graduated from college, after Cassandra tried to trap me into marriage, I joined up with the American contingent, partially because I do love my adopted country, but mostly to thumb my nose at Father. That finally got his attention." Krycek paused and sighed, looking into Jess's eyes. She nodded, encouraging him wordlessly to continue. "When I made my intentions known, he tried to dissuade me from working for the Consortium at all. And when I said I was to be groomed for the FBI, he was livid. He tried to convince me to work for the KGB instead, if I had to work for Them at all. He told me if I did go to the FBI, he would never speak to me as his son again. I left and he's kept his word."

"Alex, I had no idea," she said. Her hands slid from his shoulders to his waist, holding him close. She felt his cheek rest on top of his head.

"There's one person I wonder about," Krycek whispered into her hair. "I guess you would call her my nanny. She took care of me and Mother while she was ill and after Mother died, and sort of knows about who Father and I work for." He pushed back to look at her face. "I don't know if she's still alive or not."

Jess nodded gently, sensing her lover's sorrow. "Nothing says we have to return home from New York right away. After we finish our business there, we could stay a few extra days. See the sights. Maybe visit some old friends."

Krycek pulled her closer to him in a fierce hug, burying his face into her soft hair. "I'm not sure I can do that, Jess. I want to, but I don't know that I can. It means going back."

* * * * * * *

When she stepped out of the UN building in New York City, her senses automatically shifted into high gear. Marita Covarrubias knew that in her line of work, a sense of paranoia could lead to a long and healthy life. Nothing around her was out of the ordinary, except Jessica Leahs lounging against a lamp post, a long way from her usual haunts of D.C. and San Jose.

Covarrubias looked at the woman holding the leash to a very big half-wolf, half-husky. The young woman was wearing a her boyfriend's leather jacket which was too large for her, but gave an appropriately menacing air. And a young blond girl stroked the animal's back.

The wolf's ears perked up at Covarrubias's approach. Jess continued leaning against the lamp post without a movement, except to scratch behind the wolf's ears. The U.N. worker decided to pass in front of the trio and not to pay any attention to the intimidation game they were playing.

It seemed to work. Jess still concentrated on scratching Krycek's ears. Just after she passed the pair, she heard the quiet whisper. "If you hurt him, you will pay."

Despite wanting to get the hell out of there, Covarrubias turned to look at Jess. "What did you say?"

Jess pushed away from the post. "Mulder may trust you, but I don't. If you hurt him in any way..." her voice trailed off and she shrugged her shoulders as if the rest were obvious.

"'I'll have hell to pay?'" Covarrubias said in an alto voice tinged with sarcasm. "Ms. Leahs, I didn't think you were into trite cliches."

Krycek growled deep in his throat. Lindy also bristled. "No, you'll just have us to pay," Jess said calmly before turning to leave.

Covarrubias looked after the retreating werewolves. <They are getting too cocky.> She would report this incident to her superiors. However, despite past recommendations, They had been lax on Leahs and Krycek. This time she would see personally that appropriate countermeasures were taken to remind the werewolves of their place.

* * * * * * *

Jess sat in the passenger seat of her Jeep, letting Krycek drive her and Lindy to wherever they were going. They had left New York and were heading to see Krycek's friend who lived in one of the numerous outskirting smaller towns.

"We're here." Krycek had pulled up to an old brownstone apartment building in a quiet neighborhood. "I hope she still lives here," he said, getting out of the car.

Jess and Lindy also got out of the car. They followed Krycek up the stairs and into the building. He was obviously nervous. They said nothing as they waited for the elevator.

Once they were in the elevator and heading to the seventh floor, Jess and Lindy gave him a reassuring hug. "It'll go fine," Jess said.

Krycek nodded and returned the hug, mussing Lindy's hair. When the elevator doors opened, he walked up the apartment 731 and knocked on the door. An elderly woman answered it. "Yes?" she said with a heavy Russian accent.

Krycek smiled. "Hello, Tati."

The old woman's face lit up. "Alexi? Little Alexi, not so little anymore?" The woman lifted a hand to his cheek went off into rapid Russian endearments, at least Jess guessed they were endearments from her tone of voice. Krycek was replying in kind in equally fluent Russian.

Krycek turned and motioned Jess and Lindy forward. He switched back to English for their benefit. "And this is my fiance, Jessica Leahs, and her adopted daughter Lindy. Jess, Lindy, this is Tatiana Rudenko. Until we moved, Tati practically raised me after Mother died."

Jess smiled and offered her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Rudenko."

"Please, call me Tatiana. And come in." She hustled them inside and down a short hallway to a crowded living room. "Let me get you something to drink. Tea?"

As Jess and Lindy sat on an overstuffed couch, Krycek remained standing. "Let me get it, Tati."

"No, Alexi. You are a guest in my home."

"Tati, please, I want you and Jess to get to know each other. And it will be just like old times when I made tea for you." Krycek walked to the kitchenette. "And I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

The Russian woman laughed. "Still such a stubborn, determined young man." Tatiana turned to Jess and regarded her with warm gray eyes. "I am glad that he has found someone who truly loves him. He deserves it, especially after what that witch did to him."

Jess smiled. She knew exactly who the witch, pronounced more like bitch, was. "He told me all about Cassandra Oldham. I even got to meet her once. She was an attractive woman, but no threat."

"Good," Tatiana pronounced, patting Jess's arm. "And when are the two of you having children?"

Jess looked down at her red and black cowboy boots. "We're trying, but we may not be able to."

"Your problem?" When Jess nodded, Tatiana clucked reassuringly. "Science is doing all sorts of wonderful things for people trying to have babies. I'm sure you will be hearing the patter of little feet in the future."

Jess smiled sadly. "We hope so." <Only not quite the way you're thinking.>

Krycek came back into the living room bearing a tray with a tea service on it. With a child like intensity, he poured the hot water into the teacups and passed them out.

Tatiana accepted the cup with a smile. "So Alexi, why have you come to see me after all this time?" as she steeped the tea.

Krycek smiled as he dipped his tea bag in his cup. "I wanted to see how you are doing, Tati."

Tatiana gave him a knowing smile as she took a sip. "And you wanted to know how your father is, but couldn't bear to talk to him directly." She shook her head as she put the cup down. "Too proud to let him know that you still care about him or he about you."

"Care about me?" Krycek said sharply. "He never contacted me after I graduated. He never offered to help."

Jess put a hand over Krycek's clenched fist in an effort to soothe him. "You can speak freely in front of me, I know about who Alex and his father worked for. We have gone through several tough events this last three years. We never heard heard anything from him."

The older woman sighed again. "Alexi, despite what he said, your father never stopped loving you. He calls me every week to find out if I knew anything about you. Please, consider contacting him."

Krycek sighed as Jess squeezed his hand. "I'll think about it, Tati."

* * * * * * *

Three days after they returned home, all seemed right with the world. Or at least as right as could be expected in their lives.

It was a Friday late afternoon. After dropping Lindy off at soccer practice, Jess had slowly made her way back home. Krycek was off somewhere 'running errands.' In other words, he was looking for a Russian language newspapers and hoping that no one was following him this time. So she asked Krycek to drop her off at home.

As she passed through the doorway, she noticed something on the floor. Jess picked up the envelope addressed to her. It hadn't come through the mail, because there was no post mark she could discern.

She flipped it over and with a casual slice broke the seal. Inside was a copy of an article dated for this evenings issue of the San Jose Mercury News, the edition yet to be published on the West Coast. She skimmed it, puzzled as to why someone would send her an article about a man and his pregnant wife killed in a seemingly random freeway shooting.

The reason became all too clear when she looked at the attached pictures. These were not from a newspaper, but copies of crime scene photos. She recognized the green minivan by the license plate.

"No!" The word was a strangled yelp. Her brother had just bought that minivan, having traded in his old VW Bug for something more family like, as he put it, something he could more easily haul around the many kids he and Annie intended to have.

Jess clutched the photo to her chest, sobbing. <Michael, Annie, no! Don't be dead, please.> Only when did she sense another presence in the room did she look up. Her brown eyes looked up to connect with a set of wrathful hazel ones.

"Mulder," she gasped, wiping away a tear. In her distress, she didn't notice his jaw and hands clenching convulsively. "Why are you..."

"Shut up, Jess!" Mulder snarled.

Jess blinked. Her friend never had acted towards her with such hostility, not when he found out about her and Krycek's relationship, not when he had found out she was a werewolf and had hidden the fact from him. "What's wrong?"

Mulder fixed her with a steely glare as he advanced. "You knew, and didn't tell me," he growled in a low voice.

Jess was puzzled. Her mind was still preoccupied with her brother. "Knew? About what?"

"About *him*." She had never heard one word filled with so much hate. "That smoking son of a bitch. And my mother." His eyes narrowed. Now his voice filled with sorrow and hurt and anger. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh God," Jess whispered, staggering backwards. She now knew what he was talking about. She had stumbled across some information about Cancerman, but had decided to protect Mulder by possibly never telling. The truth would be too painful for him to bear, at least at this point in his life. "I wanted to, but..."

"But what?" Mulder thundered. "Jess, I trusted you! Against my better judgment, I tried to accept that you love that lying rat bastard. Now I find out that you're working with him!"

"Alex had nothing to do with that." Jess pleaded. "He was all for telling you right away, but I overruled him. I didn't think you could handle what I found out, so I was going to wait for a while..."

"I don't want to hear your moralistic excuses, Jess! Who are you to play God with my life?"

"Mulder," Jess pleaded. "I wasn't playing God. It was breaking my heart not to tell you, but you need to hear why."

Mulder stepped forward, placing himself inches from her face. His right hand started to raise. Her rational mind knew that he would never strike her, but the instinct she was operating on was reminded of Jake about to beat the crap out of her. Jess cowered back, clearly afraid.

At the horrified look in her eyes, Mulder checked himself suddenly. He didn't buy the fact that this had been Jess's idea. It had to be that rat bastard's, but she willingly went along with him. That is what hurt him the most. "I don't want to hear from you ever again," he growled at her softly. Mulder spun on his heel and stormed out of the condo. Jess stood rooted in shock until she heard the squeal of a car being driven violently away.

Overcome by a wave of nausea, Jess bolted for the upstairs bathroom. She ran to the toilet and vomited again and again, until she was completely empty. Only when she looked up did she notice the message scrawled in a red and black oily substance on the mirror.

"YOU'RE NEXT" And under the words, there was an arrow pointing downwards into the sink.

Jess pushed up off her knees and walked like a zombie towards the mirror. Then what was cradled in the sink caught her eye. Little Chloe, Lindy's pet cat, was laying limply in the depression, her throat slit with a neat, blood encrusted gash.

If Jess's stomach hadn't been empty, she would have wretched again. Dazed, she walked out of the bathroom and to the linen closet. She pulled out the oldest, rattiest towels she had and tenderly wrapped the cat's body up. She carried the body down stairs and out to the garage. She found one of the large empty storage bin and placed Chloe gently inside. Part of her rational mind was screaming at her to stop disturbing evidence and call the police, but her maternal instincts were screaming louder to keep Lindy from stumbling over her beloved pet.

Jess went back upstairs to take a closer look at the mirror. Leaning in close, she widened her nostrils to take in the smell of the liquid. She recognized that there were only two odors in the liquid - cat's blood and motor oil. That snapped what little control Jess had over her instincts. With an incoherent roar of rage and fear, Jess slammed her fist into the glass, spiderwebbing its surface with cracks. She then fled outside on foot, barely noticing, but subconsciously registering in the back yard, Boomer lay limply on the end of his tether, his throat also slit.

Jess couldn't gather enough control to try to mindspeak to either Lindy or Alex. She didn't will her hand, badly lacerated from the shattered glass of the mirror, to heal. All she could do was run on instinct to possibly the only living friend she had left in the world.

* * * * * * *

Upstairs and getting ready for bed, Skinner heard someone pounding on his door. Grabbing his slacks and a belt, he slid them on and headed down stairs. Half way to the front door, he was hit by a wave of deja vu. He then remembered the last time he had been awakened like this. Agent Mulder had dragged a seemingly unrepentant Alex Krycek to him seeking a safe house to hold him for the night. Then there was the night a year later that Krycek had brought a wounded Jess, also seeking a safe haven. This time, it was Krycek's, and now his, lover standing outside, alone.

Skinner opened the door for Jess. Instead of speaking or entering the apartment, she stood there, pale and trembling. Her hair was tousled, her face was streaked with tears, and her right hand was slick with blood. He gently reached for her. "Jess?"

Her eyes slowly sought his, as if from a great distance. "Can I come in?" she whispered in a barely audible voice.

Skinner nodded. Jess mechanically passed through the threshold and walked to the couch. Staring at nothing, she sat down stiffly on the couch. Then she started to shake.

<What has happened to her?> Skinner thought. <Even on the Farnsworth case, she always had a measure of control.> He sat down on the couch beside her. "Where's Alex and Lindy?"

Jess trembled even more violently. "I don't know," came her weak gasp.

<She's in deep shock over something. But what?> "Do you need someplace to stay?" Skinner couldn't tell if her head was nodding, or bobbing from how hard she was shaking. "Do you need to be alone?"

"No!" was her explosive reply. She clutched his arm tightly. "Don't leave me alone! Please!"

He had never seen her react with such panic. <Oh God! Alex and Lindy are dead, or worse and she's gone crazy.> "Do you want me to call Agent Mulder?"

That was apparently the wrong question, because if she was trembling before, she was practically convulsing now.

"Okay, no Mulder." Skinner put his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. Jess didn't resist, but neither did she encourage or aid him. She rested stiffly against him, wrapped up in her own private nightmare. Realizing that she wasn't going to move on her own, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to the bedroom.

Getting her ready for bed was like taking care of a three year old. "Lift your arms." She did, and he pulled the tee-shirt off of her. Next came the bra. She stood there bare chested before him. But there was nothing erotic or provocative in her display. Her shoulders were rolled forward, her face shell shocked. He slipped on her an old dress shirt of his, one he intended to throw away because of how faded it was. It came down almost to her knees.

Skinner sat her down on the bed and knelt to remove her shoes and socks. Jess seemed to slightly snap out of her catatonic state and shimmied off her jeans. Without a comment, she lay down on her side on half of the bed, staring straight ahead.

Skinner lightly stroked her cheek. She still stared and didn't so much as blink at his touch. "I'll be right back." He walked into the bathroom and undressed. He didn't want to add to her distress by thinking that he was trying to take advantage of her obvious disorientation. Their relationship was still too fragile. Skinner would let her take the lead and let her decide if she wanted to be comforted with sex or not.

He grabbed some antiseptic and a roll of gauze. When he came back out of the bathroom, clad only in his briefs, Jess was still laying where he had left her. Her wounded hand was dangling over the edge of the bed. As Skinner tended to it, she began trembling again, and also started to sob quietly.

He slipped into the other side of the bed and pulled her back against his upper body. "Shhhh. You're not alone," he whispered, stroking her hair.

Jess rolled over began to sob hysterically into the A.D.'s broad shoulder. She seemingly cried for hours, each sniff more heart wrenching than the last. Skinner gently held her, whispered comforting nonsense into her ear, and patted her back until with a hiccupping gasp, she fell into an exhausted, restless slumber.

He felt himself drifting off when he heard another knock on his door. Grabbing his pants, this time he went downstairs to open the door to an agitated Lindy and Krycek. "Don't worry," he said motioning them inside, guessing the reason for their worried state. "She's asleep upstairs. What's going on?"

Krycek and Lindy both gave sighs of relief. "I'm not certain, Walter," Krycek began, "but it must have been horrible for her."

"I haven't been able to get her to talk about it. What happened?"

Lindy's answer was the simplest way to explain. The little girl looked tired, and being in a dirt and sweat covered sports uniform made her look as ragged as her voice sounded. "Our lives fell apart."

* * * * * * *

Despite having been awakened from a fitful sleep, he was instantly alert. Interrupted sleep and midnight meetings came with the territory. Green eyes swept over the emergency report, noting the highlights. "And have they been harmed?"

"Not physically," his aide answered, bleary eyed. "The acts were targeted towards Jessica Leahs specifically, but to designed to cause them all mental anguish. The last of her immediate family, with the exception of one member, have been killed. Her relationship with her closest friend has been compromised. And her child's pets were slaughtered."

"And her location now? And my son's?"

"They all fled to a Walter S. Skinner's, an Assistant Director of the FBI, apartment. Apparently, there a close relationship has been forged between the three adults."

"And the reason for these... actions taken against them?"

"The only reason that seems logical is they informed Covarrubias that they were aware of her knowledge of their lycanthropy. They also made reference to FBI Special Agent Mulder."

He nodded, piecing together what probably happened. The UN plant was a rookie, eager to prove her worth. The werewolves had merely warned her that they had an eye on her. She overreacted, deliberately misled her superiors, or overstepped her limited authority and arranged for a bloody lesson to be taught. "Arrange for all them, the AD included, to be protected twenty four hours a day. And make certain that it was Covarrubias who ordered this." He paused for a moment, running through what his aide had said a few moments ago. "All of her family was assassinated, except one member? Who survived?"

The aide's words were not reassuring. "She is not aware of this fact, but the one who survived is one of Us."

* * * * * * *

Skinner and Krycek stood by the bed, watching Jess sleep. Although unconscious, tears were still seeping from her eyes. Krycek and Lindy explained what they had been able to deduce that happened. It was almost broke their hearts when they realized how badly she was affected by the events of the last six hours. Right now she needed some comfort, of the physical kind.

After shedding his clothes, Krycek knelt beside the bed. He gently wiped the tears away. Jess shivered and opened her eyes. "Alex?" she asked, reaching for his face.

"Shhhh. I'm here, love," Krycek whispered as Skinner got in bed behind her. "Move over." As the A.D. wrapped his arms around Jess and pulled her close, Krycek slid under the sheets. He softly kissed her lips, first chastely, but then with increasing passion. His left leg slid between hers, teasing the her calf with his foot.

One of Skinner's warm palms slid up her stomach to cup a breast. At Jess's soft sigh, it crept to the buttons that were holding her shirt closed. Strong fingers teased the shirt open as Skinner planted kisses at the base of her neck. He cast away the shirt, and worked next on removing her panties.

Krycek moved to Jess's ear. He breathed into it, making Jess break out in gooseflesh. He then latched onto the lobe, nibbling and tugging. He could feel the warm skin of the back of Skinner's hands brush against his nipples as the A.D. teased Jess's breast. He groaned as he felt Jess's hips start to grind against him, and then again when he felt Skinner begin moving also.

"Oh God," Jess gasped. She was making soft, mewling sounds and tears started trailing from her eyes. "I thought you were.... I thought I would find Walter...."

"Shhhh," Skinner whispered into her ear. "We're both here." One of his hands slid from her breasts to Krycek's cock. The young man gasped as the head of his cock was gently rubbed against her thighs. Then it was his turn to gasp as Krycek's hands went to his ass, pulling Skinner tighter against Jess.

Jess moaned as Skinner covered her left breast with his large, warm palm. He slowly worked his palm in circles, massaging her. Krycek, meanwhile, busied himself pleasuring her right breast with lips and tongue. Jess cried out soundlessly, reaching behind her to stroke the back of Skinner's head with her left hand while entangling her right in Krycek's hair.

Skinner couldn't hold back any longer. He rolled over and reached into the bed stand to retrieve the lubricant. After oiling his cock generously, he slid his still slick fingers between her asscheeks, preparing her. Jess groaned and relaxed almost immediately. Gently holding her hips, Skinner positioned himself to penetrate her. When he felt Jess press back, he entered her anus ever so gently. He felt her shivers of pleasure as he stretched and filled her with shallow, gentle thrusts. Once fully enclosed in her hot channel, his hand reached for Krycek's erection, intending to jerk him off as he made Jess come.

But Krycek had other intentions. He guided Skinner's touch back to Jess's breasts. And then Krycek slipped into Jess's tight vagina causing her to sob raggedly from pleasure. The sensation of being stretched and filled by both men at the same time was almost too much to bear. Her hands sought Krycek's dark hair and pulled him to her taut nipple, begging wordlessly.

Jess arched back against Skinner as Krycek began gently nibbling and licking. Still thrusting slowly, Skinner started nuzzling her neck and shoulder, biting gently. Both men ground into her, first opposing each other's strokes and then together And without warning, she was coming violently. Wave after wave of pleasure swept through her, almost causing her to black out. All she could do was close her eyes and ride out the pulsing sensations. She distantly heard herself scream in ecstasy.

Exhausted from her emotions and actions, she barely noticed when Skinner began to grunt with each thrust. Krycek tossed his head back and gave a sharp bark as he came. When their thrashing bodies stilled, Skinner and Krycek eased out of Jess. Both men kissed her in the muzzy afterglow, all of them content for the moment. Skinner pulled the covers back over their bodies, pausing to stroke his male and female lovers's cheeks. Trusting him completely, they were both already asleep. He nestled into Jess's back, pulled Krycek a little tighter against her, and was soon asleep himself.

* * * * * * *

When Jess slowly woke up, the first thing she realized was that she wasn't in her bed at home. As she sat up, she remembered everything that had happened yesterday. Then she saw that she was alone. <Alone. Last night, Alex, Walter, and me, was a dream.> Tears started to fall from her eyes.

She heard the door open. She heard the pad of bare feet as someone crossed the room and Jess felt a soft handkerchief wipe at her eyes. "You gave us quite a scare, Jess," came Krycek's voice.

Jess opened her eyes to stare at her lover's incredible green ones in disbelief. Her arms went around his neck, her head into his shoulder. "When you weren't here when I arrived, I thought They got to you and Lindy too," she sobbed brokenly.

Krycek kissed her hair. "We're not so easy to get rid of," he whispered into it.

Jess shivered. Her lifemate was safe, Walter was safe, but was her other companion? "Lindy's okay, right?"

"She's fine." Krycek stroked her face. "She's here with us. If you're up to it, come down stairs with me and maybe get some breakfast?"

"Okay." She let Krycek help her out of bed. "I don't have much of an appetite though." She looked around for her clothes.

Krycek tugged forward a suitcase that had rested just outside the doorway. "Lindy and I brought some things we thought you'd need." He opened the suitcase and tossed her a pair of jeans and a cotton shirt.

Jess's eyes filled with tears yet again. "Then you saw?" she asked, pulling on her clothes.

Krycek nodded. "Yeah. Lindy knows Chloe and Boomer are dead, but not how. I made sure of that." He gestured down the hallway with his head. "C'mon. You need to eat." Grabbing her hand, he tugged out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

Skinner and Lindy looked up as the pair entered the living room. She still looked depressed, but the hopeless, zombie expression was gone. Skinner thought that her change in mood was due to relief that the last of the living who loved her were safe.

Lindy slipped off the couch and ran to her. The young teen looked pale, but much better in clean clothes. Jess dropped to her knees and pulled the girl in close. They held each other silently. Skinner wondered if they were speaking mind to mind, because they were so quiet.

Lindy pulled away and Jess got off her knees. They walked hand in hand to the couch and sat down. Lindy leaned against Jess, and the young woman put an arm around her. Krycek sat next to Lindy, and Skinner on the other side of Jess.

"I feel so stupid for reacting the way I did," Jess said, putting her head in her free hand. "Any one thing I could have handled, but all three at once..."

"Three?" Krycek asked. "We know about the pets and Michael's and Annie's deaths. What else happened?"

"There was another death," Jess groaned. "It was of Mulder's and my friendship. He knows, Alex."

Krycek's jaw dropped. "How?"

"I don't know." Jess lifted her head to look at Krycek and Skinner. "All I know is that he feels that we betrayed him. No," Jess amended. "He feels that you've betrayed him and corrupted me, Alex."

Skinner looked confused. "Betrayed him? Corrupted you, Jess? What are you talking about?"

"Back when Alex and I started living together, I stumbled onto some information regarding Cancerman and Mulder's mother. Cancerman and I made a deal - in exchange for my silence, he would leave us alone. He didn't keep his end of the bargain, but I couldn't tell Mulder, not at this point in his life."

"Do I want to know what you know?"

"No," Jess and Krycek said at the same time.

"It's almost impossible to blackmail these men," Krycek said. "You try to turn one of their weapons back on them, and it always will backfire."

Jess bowed her head. "If you've gained Mulder's trust, you'll know what we're talking about soon enough."

Skinner sat back in his chair. "So now what happens?"

Jess leaned back into the couch and stroked Lindy's hair. "I guess we go to San Jose and bury Michael and Annie." She sighed. "After that I don't have a clue." Her eyes teared. "I don't think I could stay in the condo, not after everything that's happened."

Skinner gently patted her shoulder. "You don't have to go back to stay. I think I know of someplace you can stay, long term if you like."

"Thank you," Jess whispered, sagging into the couch. "I guess we were fooling ourselves, thinking we were safe. Cancerman was bound to try something like this sooner or later."

"Jess, I don't think Cancerman ordered this," Krycek said. "No pun intended, but it seems like overkill."

"I agree," Skinner rumbled. "These events aren't his style. They're too personally directed. And he would only strike once, not three times in rapid succession."

Jess sighed and slumped forward. "Then who? Who have we angered... oh no."

Krycek experienced the same flash of insight Jess had. "Covarrubias," he growled.

Skinner looked at the pair, worried. He had been told about the blond's help in getting Krycek and Mulder to Russia and her odd reaction to Jess. And his FBI instincts said that they were right, that something more was going on, even if Mulder was too blind to see it. "It's dangerous to jump to that conclusion," he cautioned.

Krycek nodded. "We know that, Walter. We won't do anything unless we're certain."

* * * * * * *

Cancerman finished delivering his report on the events of the last twelve hours to Well Manicured Man. "We have yet to determine exactly who leaked the information, but I have my suspicions."

Well Manicured Man nodded. "And where is Leahs now?"

"She, Krycek, and the child are en route to San Jose to claim and bury the bodies."

"And the Assistant Director?"

"He has elected to remain behind to deal with Agents Mulder and Scully."

Well Manicured Man sat and considered the latest events. "We can manipulate this situation to our advantage if we move cautiously. Find out who ordered the murders and the attacks. Miss Leahs will be more than happy to learn who did it."

Cancerman raised his eyebrows skeptically. "And why would she listen to us?"

Well Manicured Man smiled. "I have some influence over her that I have not brought to bear just yet. She needed to be in a truly desperate situation to be receptive. Now the situation is perfect."

* * * * * * *

Jess, Krycek, and Lindy stood in front of the graves. The last three days had been a blur. Jess had identified and claimed the bodies of her brother and sister-in-law. Then they had arranged the well attended funeral. After that came the reading of the will, the arrangements that had to be made regarding Michael's vet practice, and the house in Los Gatos. Jess's decision had been to sell the vet practice to Michael's partner, but keep the house locked until she could sort through the belongings and decide what to keep and what to donate to charities. Now that all that had been taken care of, all that was left was one more goodbye and the flight back to D.C. to try to reconstruct their lives.

Jess sighed as she looked at the six graves, her mother's, father's, sister's, brother's, sister-in-law's and nephew's. Lindy held on to her waist while Krycek crossed his arm below her neck. They just held each other, grieving quietly.

The scent of approaching cigarette smoke made the trio bristle and raise their heads. "Haven't you hurt us enough?" Krycek growled. "What the hell do you want *now*?"

Cancerman calmly walked up to the opposite side of the fresh graves. "I'm here to pay my last respects, Mr. Krycek." He removed the omnipresent tube of tobacco from his mouth. "What happened to Ms. Leahs's brother and sister-in-law is a tragedy and a waste."

"You, of all people," Jess snarled, "are offering *me* condolences? You probably ordered their deaths!"

"I did no such thing," was the calm reply. "What appears to have happened is that a member of my association decided that you needed to be reminded of your precarious place. And the results of that associate's actions were harmful to my position also."

~He's right~ Krycek grudgingly mindspoke to Jess. ~Mulder finding out about him cannot have helped him, or improved his standing among his colleagues.~

Jess considered her lover's and her enemy's words. She relaxed her tight stance slightly. Her sharp gaze pierced Cancerman's eyes. "So why are you here?"

"A senior associate has expressed an interest in your case, Ms. Leahs." Cancerman paused to take a drag of the smoldering cigarette. "He wishes to protect you and yours from any further overzealous acts."

Krycek looked at the Cigarette Smoking Man with narrowed eyes. "Why the hell would one of the Consortium want to protect us?"

Cancerman had been wondering the same thing himself. "I don't know," he admitted. "All he would say was that he wanted to help you avenge your brother's death, and possibly give you information about Amanda."

Jess and Krycek looked at each other. They both would make a deal with the devil if it meant regaining their lost daughter. ~You make the call, love,~ Krycek 'spoke to Jess. ~I'll follow your lead.~

Jess nodded slightly. Lindy, who had remained silent during the exchange, angled in slightly in front of Jess. She glared at Cancerman, wanting to attack the man who had caused the woman she considered to be her mother such pain, half daring him to hurt Jess or Krycek so she'd have the excuse. Jess dropped a hand on her shoulder, a reminder to hold onto the control that separated inhuman werewolves from mere human wolves.

The grip on her shoulder tightened painfully when Well Manicured Man stepped from behind one of the trees. "Hello, Jessica. It's been a long time."

Jess nodded, eyes wide, apparently too dumbfounded to speak. In a heartbeat, she wondered how many of the events in her life were coincidence, and how many carefully arranged.

Cancerman looked at his superior and then at Jess. "You have already met each other?"

Jess found her voice. "Yes." She stood a fraction straighter. "Hello, Uncle."

* * * * * * *

When Scully entered her and Mulder's apartment, she immediately knew something was wrong. Mulder was no where to be seen. Usually after this long of a separation, he would be all over her.

She heard a muffled noise coming from behind the closed door of their bedroom. Acting on FBI trained instincts, she drew her gun and eased to the door. She peaked through the half open door. She sighed and holstered the gun. "Fox?"

He sat on their bed, holding a framed photograph in his hands. Mulder looked at her. Her heart almost broke when she saw the anguish and pain in his eyes. She had never seen him this upset.

"Dana?" Mulder motioned her over to the bed with his head. "Look at this picture. Tell me what you see."

Scully took the picture from his hand. It was a picture she had seen before many times of the four Mulders, taken roughly a year before Samantha went missing. She scanned the photo for something X-File related, a 'ghost' in the foreground, a 'UFO' in the background, some clue about Samantha's abduction. "I see your family, Fox."

Mulder took the picture from her. "It's not my family, Dana. It's a lie." he said in a soft, bitter voice. In an unexpected fit of violence, he threw the picture across the wall. The glass covering the photo shattered into a thousand pieces. "It's a goddamn *lie* that *Jess* helped perpetuate!"

"Jess lied to you?" Scully couldn't believe it. Jess loved Mulder like a brother.

"She knew the truth about my father. She knew that Krycek didn't kill my father, but she didn't tell me."

"What?" Now Scully was even more confused. "Why is it so upsetting that Krycek didn't kill your father? And why would he lie and say that he did?"

"Krycek didn't kill my father, he only thought he did." Mulder's gaze darkened even further. "Actually, he worked for him."

"Oh my God," Scully whispered. Krycek had made one thing clear. He had only taken orders from one man. "You don't mean..."

"Yes," Mulder whispered bitterly. "That smoking son of a bitch and my mother..." His voice broke, losing the tenuous control he had on his emotions.

Scully put her arms around him. She held him as he cried. "Fox," she whispered in his hair. "I love you, no matter who your biological father is. It doesn't change who you are."

"But it does," he whispered. "Like father, like son."

"Fox William Mulder!" Scully said sharply. "You are not the same as Cancerman. Just because you share some DNA with him, it does not mean you will become him."

"One thing makes more sense now," Mulder said, staring at the photo he had thrown across the room. "Remember those inoculation files we found, the ones with your and Samantha's names on them?" Scully nodded and Mulder continued. "I noticed Samantha's label covered another name, mine. He was trying to control Dad."

"Or maybe he was trying to protect your mother," she said. Scully didn't add the 'and you' she was thinking. It made more sense, though Mulder wouldn't accept the fact that even Cancerman could be capable of a basic human emotion like love. But Mulder had caused so much trouble in the past, it would have been a lot easier for the Cigarette Smoking Man to have him killed out of hand. And yet, Mulder still lived.

As Mulder buried his face in her shoulder, Scully looked at the photo, now lying crumpled on the floor. Through coincidence or fate or what have you, the corner containing Bill Mulder had been torn away from the rest picture.

* * * * * * *

It was one of the nicer hotel suites in downtown San Jose with a lovely view of Guadalupe Park. It spoke of wealth, but not ostentation, the type of place for men who wanted discrete comfort but not close scrutiny. Jess and her uncle were having a private discussion in the bedroom while Krycek and Lindy waited outside uneasily.

Well Manicured Man sat on one of the queen sized beds. "I only found out about my sister's and your father's death recently." He paused, trying to gauge her reaction. "I'm sorry I didn't try to make peace with her sooner."

Jess, sitting on the other bed, smiled ruefully. "I don't think she would have accepted it. She really did love Dad." <What the hell am I doing?!?> Jess thought. <I've just found out that one of my few remaining living relatives is a member of a world wide conspiracy, and I'm talking about family history?> She looked at him through narrowed eyes. "Did Mom know who you're involved with?"

Well Manicured Man shook his head. "All she knew was that I had a high security clearance job."

She picked up the glass of soda off the nightstand, a favorite from childhood, her uncle had to thoughtfully provided. Nose centimeters from the brim, she inhaled like she was testing the bouquet of a fine wine. <No drugs I can smell.> "So why did you bother to look for me now?" She took a sip of the soda, waited a moment testing for an unusual taste indicating a drug, and then took a larger swallow.

Her hesitation over the drink was noticed but not commented on. "Jessica, your mother had cut herself off completely from me after Rachel's death. It was only when I started searching for you that I discovered that you were involved in an ongoing project." He paused and decided to reveal something personal to her. "I recently lost someone very close to me. She was murdered brutally and senselessly. It was a wake up call. I decided to try to track down the last of my family."

"Last of my family," Jess repeated bitterly. "Did you have anything to do with..."

"No. I wasn't aware that you were threatened until I found out what you have become. And I will discover who caused this murder and make them pay for my nephew's death."

"No, Uncle, we want to be the ones who exact payment." Jess leaned forward intently. "But there has to be an understanding. I don't trust you at all. The only reason we are doing this is that you are offering what we want - revenge. But expect nothing more."

"And if I offer something more?"

Jess smiled sadly as she leaned back. "You wouldn't," she said with a shake of her head. "And if you did, you wouldn't keep your end of the bargain. If you gave us Amanda, you would lose your power over us. I know we'll never regain our daughter through you. But back to business," she said with a false cheerfulness. "You were going to tell me who arranged for my life to be torn apart."

"I am not certain yet," Well Manicured Man answered. "I have a suspicion, but want to be sure."

"In that case," Jess said, getting off the bed, "I'm going home. I'm sure you'll notify me when you find out who did this. Until then, Uncle."

He remained silent as his niece opened the door to the bedroom. <This will have to be handled with caution. If I play this right, her loyalty to me will be assured.>

Jess stepped out of the bedroom only to find Krycek extremely upset. Cancerman was with him. "Alex, what's wrong?" Jess asked, glaring at the tall man behind her lover.

"Jess, we need to go back to New York. Tati's had a heart attack."

* * * * * * *

Lindy leaned back into the seat and let the acceleration of take off wash over her. They were on their way back to New York, so Krycek could see his beloved Tati, probably for the last time, before she died. Jess's uncle had offered them the use of a private jet, which would get them to the Big Apple hours before their scheduled flight. Since every minute counted, Jess and Krycek accepted, even if they had to share the cabin with an unwelcome fellow passenger.

She was worried about her adopted mother. Jess just couldn't seem to settle. She was alternately looking in tenderly on a sleeping Krycek, reading the book she had bought, checking maternally on Lindy, and glaring at the Smoking Man, who sitting on a diagonal facing her, puffing away unconcernedly as he read the New York Times.

"Ms. Leahs, I do wish you would stop staring at me like that." Cancerman's voice had an amused edge to it.

"Like what?" Jess asked, distractedly leafing through pages of her book. Lindy had noted that she had tried to read the same three pages for the last half hour.

Again there was an undefined amusement in Cancerman's voice. "As if I were the prince of darkness."

"Sir," Jess said, managing to look wounded yet completely unrepentant. "I've *never* thought of you as the prince of darkness. Duke of insufficient lighting, maybe, but never prince of darkness. That's who Mulder thinks you are." She put down her book, giving up the pretense of reading. She leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling of the airplane.

The Cigarette Smoking Man also put aside the newspaper. "Speaking of Agent Mulder, have you spoken to him?"

Jess saw no reason for not telling him. He probably already knew what her conversations with Mulder consisted of. "I manage to get as far as 'please don't hang up.' And then he does." Jess looked into Cancerman's eyes. "I'm surprised you didn't come after me yourself when you found out he knew."

Cancerman shook his head. "If you were going to tell him, you would have a long time ago." And, although a major annoyance sometimes, she could be useful to him in the future.

Jess blinked and stared beyond Lindy out the window. "You're trying to protect him, in your own way, aren't you?"

"Yes, although he makes that practically impossible."

They fell silent for several minutes. Jess sat there, struggling with something. "Is she all right?" she finally asked.

Cancerman knew who Jess was talking about. "Amanda is doing well. She is a healthy little girl. She shows all the signs of being extremely intelligent and gifted."

Jess nodded, closing her eyes in a vain attempt to hide her tears. "Why did you take her from me?" she asked in a broken voice.

For the first time, Cancerman decided to be honest. For all the young woman who sat before him had suffered, she had earned the right to a small part of the truth. "You were dying. Werewolf pregnancies have a tendency to be difficult and fatal. Human/werewolf crossbreeds are nortoriously fragile until the third month of life. If I hadn't had stepped in, Amanda would have been stillborn and you would have died trying to give birth to her. And once you were stabilized, the focus was making sure the child would survive."

"I guess I should thank you for my life then, and hers," Jess said slowly. "But you should know, I will stop at *nothing* to find her. You thought Mulder was dogged about finding Samantha. You haven't seen anything yet."

* * * * * * *

As soon as the private jet landed, Jess, Krycek and Lindy got off the plane and headed to the hospital without a word to Cancerman. Jess and Lindy sat half dozing in the waiting room. They had already said their goodbyes to Tatiana and were letting Krycek do the same privately. Blue and brown eyes would slide half open every time a doctor, nurse, orderly, patient, or visitor would pass.

~Jess. Lindy,~ came the quiet mindcall. Jess opened her eyes to see Krycek standing in front of her with tears in his eyes. She knew then that Tatiana Rudenko had passed on. She and Lindy stood and pulled Krycek into a group hug, offering silent condolences. Then they turned and left the hospital to head to the airport and home. Krycek knew that someone connected with his father, or even his father himself, would take care of funeral arrangements, and he did not want to be around when that happened. They called a cab to take them to an airport. From there they would take a commuter flight back to Washington.

They missed seeing the old man in black by five minutes.

In the cab, Jess tenderly held Krycek in her arms. "Alex, did she say anything to you before...?"

Krycek sighed deeply. He was dry eyed and in shock. Tears would come later. "She made me promise to find Father. Jess," he said, switching gears. "How did Rachel die?"

She knew that he was avoiding talking about finding his father. And at this point, it seemed wiser not to push. Jess leaned her head back against the seat. Lindy, who had never heard the full story, leant against her, listening intently. "I was thirteen, she was sixteen," Jess began. "She just got her license on her birthday, and a new car. She decided to go up Highway 17 to Santa Cruz. She did it as a statement of her new found independence. And she took me along for the ride."

"We spent the day playing on the beach and exploring the Boardwalk, the amusement park there. It got later and later. I kept begging for one more ride, one more game, one more handful of popcorn to toss to the seagulls. After about an hour of 'just five more minutes,' she pulled rank and we started back home."

"Highway 17 is a twisty, turning, two lane freeway, 55 mph for the most part. But the summit is a dangerous area. But people still speed full tilt over it. There is at least one fatal accident a month there." Jess stopped, her eyes tearing. She wiped them away with the back of her hand and continued. "Rachel was just about to take the summit doing 25, what traffic in our lane, the commute side, was doing. Some idiot coming the other way doing 75 lost control coming downhill and swerved into incoming traffic. He ran..." Jess stopped, unable to go on with the description. "Rachel died on impact. It was a minor miracle that I survived."

Lindy patted Jess's hand. "And the other driver?"

"He also died on impact. Instead of blaming him, my parents blamed the person who got Rachel the car for the accident."

Krycek stroked Jess's hair. "But why did he lose touch with your family after the accident?"

Jess's lips twitched into an ironic smile. "Who do you think bought Rachel the car?"

* * * * * * *

He had just returned from the hospital, where he paid his final respects to Tatiana Rudenko. His last, living link to his son was gone. It was time to start forging a new one, a direct one.

The old Russian looked up from the final report. "Are you certain?" he asked, eying the stack made up of papers, audio cassettes and video tapes.

"One hundred percent, sir," the aide replied with certainty and satisfaction. "I have obtained the surveillance tapes, and done some research into her family. She was told that her uncle did not know of her being involved in a section of the Project. However, this videotape proves otherwise. We are ready to consolidate the information into a more compact package for delivery."

"And is any information about my granddaughter included?"

"Yes sir. I was able to unearth some videos that document her progress. With your approval, I am ready to commission a courier to deliver the information."

Green eyes lost their focus, wandering in a deep thought. "I will deliver it personally," he said abstractedly.

"Sir?" his aide asked, surprised. "What if your son refuses to see you?"

The old man had already thought of that possibility. "I will deliver it in a roundabout way. It is time for my son and myself to, as Americans say, start mending fences."

* * * * * * *

Skinner sat behind his desk, half dreading his next appointment. Agent Mulder had asked to see him privately, and he had a good idea why.

He had heard from Jess earlier this afternoon. She had called to explain why they would be later than originally thought. She had also given him a quick and dirty briefing about her long lost uncle. Skinner knew that what he had planned would be a risk, but he felt that it was one worth taking.

He also wanted to try to heal the rift that had formed between Mulder and Jess. She had withheld the truth, a capital crime as far Mulder was concerned, but she had done so trying to protect her friend and ex-lover. Right now she needed as many friends as she could get.

There was a knock on his office door. His secretary Kim opened it. "Agent Mulder to see you sir."

Skinner nodded. "Show him in." Kim opened the door wider and Mulder brushed past her. "Agent Mulder, have a seat."

Mulder took the chair opposite Skinner and went right to the heart of the matter. "Sir, I know what happened between you, Krycek and Jess."

Skinner looked at his most troublesome agent. "And what does that have to do with you asking to meet with me off the record?"

"I need you to talk to Jess, to tell her that I forgive her. I know that Krycek suggested it and she was too desperate and lonely to risk losing him by refusing."

Skinner slipped before he could stop himself. "Alex did nothing of the sort."

"Alex?" Mulder repeated softly. His tone took on outrage and disbelief. "You're *still* sleeping with them?!?"

"Agent Mulder," Skinner said sharply, "who I spend my free time with is none of your concern,"

"It is when Krycek's involved. He's setting you up to be blackmailed by Cancerman, if you're not already in league with him." Mulder rose to storm out of the office.

"Agent Mulder!!! *Sit*!!! *Down*!!!" Skinner thundered. As Mulder dropped back into the chair, stunned by the sheer volume of Skinner's voice, the AD grabbed control of the situation and his emotions. "First of all, I'm going to ignore that remark about me being 'in league' with that black lunged bastard. I may have worked for him, but I *never* worked *with* him. Second, Cancerman has *more* than enough information to use as blackmail against me without having Krycek add to it. And thirdly, are you at all aware of what transpired before and after you saw Jess?"

"No sir," was the sullen reply.

Skinner decided to pull no punches. Mulder often played the martyr, forgetting that others around him also suffered as great wounds as his. "Thirty seconds before she talked to you, she found out Michael and Annie were murdered. Five minutes afterwards, she found Chloe and Boomer dead. She came to me, thinking that Krycek and Lindy were murdered, and half afraid she would find me dead also."

"Sir, that doesn't excuse what she did. Did she tell you?"

"Only that she withheld information from you. She also said she was trying to protect you."

"Sir, I can't believe you're defending them."

"I'm not defending them. She admits it wasn't a good choice, but it was the only one she could make at the time. Without going into specifics, she told me that she convinced Alex that it was better to keep the information hidden. And maybe before you judge her, you should take a good hard look at the information you've kept hidden to protect people you care about."

<Ouch!> Mulder thought. He still hadn't told Scully about the fact that she would probably not be able to have children, or about what Skinner had done to save her. He hadn't told his mother that he knew about her affair with Cancerman. But the same rules didn't apply the same way to him. "I can't forgive them."

"They're not asking you too forgive them right away. They're just asking you to try to understand. Now if you'll excuse me," Skinner said brusquely, standing, "I have to pick them up from the airport."

* * * * * * *

Again, they had accepted an airplane ride from Jess's uncle. Only this time, Jess, Krycek, and Lindy had the plane to themselves. Returning from the bathroom, Krycek lovingly looked over the only family he felt now that he had left. Lindy sprawled across the seats facing Jess, sound asleep. Jess had buried her nose in Dennis McKiernan's "The Eye of the Hunter," but was having no more success reading it than the last time she flew.

He sat down beside her. ~Love, we need to talk,~ he mindspoke, not wanting to disturb Lindy.

Jess sighed and put her book down. ~About what?~

~About you, me, and Walter.~ He reached over and took her hand. ~We need to figure out where we stand.~

Jess looked out the window. ~That's the problem. I'm not sure where I stand.~

Krycek let go of her hand to gently stroke her soft hair. ~You've fallen for him too, haven't you?~

Jess sighed. ~In a sick, Oedipal way, yes. I love you the strongest, but I do have feelings for Walter. He reminds me of a cross between you, Mulder, and Dad. I mean, he's gentle like you, but tries so hard to hide it, just like my dad did. And then he's got Mulder's tenacity and loyalty... wait a minute!~ She turned sharply to look at Krycek, but there was nothing accusatory in her glance. "Did you say 'too'?" she whispered out loud.

~Yes, I did.~ Krycek pulled her in close. Jess nestled against his shoulder. ~You are my lifemate, and will always be. I have developed feelings for Walter, for the same reasons you mentioned, but they are no where near as strong as what I feel for you. If it ever comes down to a choice between you and him, there is no choice.~

Jess snuggled against him tighter. ~Same here, Alex. But what do we do? Just watch and wait to find out how he feels?~

~I think that may be the wisest thing to do,~ Krycek answered. ~He may be under orders to continue sleeping with us. But somehow, I think that if he didn't want to, he wouldn't.~

A gleam of humor appeared in Jess's eye, the first one in a long time. ~Why wouldn't he want to sleep with us? We're a pair of sluts who can't get enough.~

Krycek chuckled. "Jess!" he quietly admonished. ~Of course, he's hurting over Sharon. Maybe that is why he's staying with us.~

~Could be,~ Jess shrugged. ~I guess we should just watch and wait.~

* * * * * * *

Before taking them back to the condo, Skinner decided to spring two surprises he had on Jess, Krycek, and Lindy. He had thought long and hard about his plans, and decided that this would be the best way to do things. He may end up dead, but he would die with a clear conscience.

Under the pretense of having to pick up something, Skinner brought them to a neat two story house. While he was unlocking the door, a muffled noise could be heard coming from the inside. Once they opened the door, the first thing they saw was a large box on a coffee table.

Lindy looked at it with undisguised curiosity. There was another muffled squeak from its general direction. "What's that?"

Jess and Krycek shrugged their shoulders, clearly not knowing. "Why don't you open it and find out?" Skinner suggested.

Lindy walked to the coffee table. "What did you get her?" Jess whispered as the girl knelt.

"You'll see," Skinner whispered back. He watched intently as Lindy lifted the lid to the box, uncertain how his gift would be received. He hadn't spent much time around children and Lindy was so skittish, he wasn't sure that the girl would understand that he just wanted to be friends.

He need not have worried. Lindy lifted the lid and gasped in delight. She lifted an eight week old calico kitten from a nest of newspapers. "Is she mine?" Lindy asked, rubbing her cheek against the squirming kitten.

"Yes," Skinner said. "If you want her. I'll bet she's really thirsty. Why don't you take her into the kitchen and get her some water."

"Sure," Lindy said. "Thank you." She hesitantly approached the AD and hugged him.

Jess smiled. "Yes, thank you, Walter." She kissed his cheek.

Krycek also kissed his other cheek. "That was very sweet of you, tough guy. Now we just need to find a place to live. There is no way we're going back to that condo."

Now for Skinner's other surprise. "Why not live here?"

"Here?" Jess looked around at the spacious living room. "Are you asking us to move in with you, Walter?"

"Not exactly," Skinner said. "This is where Sharon and I lived while we were married. I got the house in the settlement, but couldn't stay here alone. As much as I hated seeing it empty, I never got around to selling it. I was thinking that you may want to rent it. I'd still keep my apartment, but would occasionally spend the night, if you'll let me." His brown eyes regarded them somberly. "But before you say anything, there is something you should know."

Jess and Krycek looked at each other worriedly. They both crossed the room silently and sat down on the couch. Skinner sat down on the chair opposite of them. And much to their surprise, he put his head in his hands.

Skinner sat there silently for several minutes. Then he found the courage to speak. "I told you that I was supposed to have sex with you Krycek." He paused to see their silent nods. "Those were my original orders. However, they changed when Jess took the tape from Cancerman."

Krycek paled. ~Here we go.~ One of the things they had finally discussed was Skinner's possible motivations for an ongoing intimate relationship with them. He shot a sideways glance at Jess. "Changed how, Walter?"

"There is something you need to know first." Skinner still hadn't looked at either of them. "Did you know that Agent Scully has potentially fatal cancer that is currently in remission?"

Both Jess and Krycek shook their heads. But a thought occurred to Krycek. "Is it related to her abduction?" he asked with a swallow.

Skinner nodded and Krycek looked down, ashamed. Jess put an arm around Krycek and reached for Skinner, but he had placed himself out of her reach. "What does that have to do with now?"

"After he found out, Agent Mulder came to me and begged me to set up a meeting with the Cigarette Smoking Man. I refused, unwilling to put him in a position where he would have to sacrifice himself to save Agent Scully's life."

That was enough for Jess and Krycek to guess what his new orders were. "Oh God, Walter," Jess breathed. "And then you offered yourself as the sacrifice."

"And you were told to spy on us after gaining our trust," Krycek said without rancor.

Skinner nodded his head, still cradled in his hands. "Yes," was all he said. He heard the two of them stand and walk towards him. <This is it,> he thought. <I'm not going to rot in some prison cell, framed by Cancerman. I'm not going to be shot execution style by some nameless assassin. I'm about to die at the fangs of these two werewolves.>

Skinner heard the lighter of the two treads walk behind the chair. He felt Jess's hands go to either side of his neck. He stiffened, waiting for her to throttle him. But instead they began a gentle massage. But he still flinched when he felt her warm breath besides his ear. "Why are you telling us this, Walter?"

He started to turn to face her, but with a gentle pressure, she forced his head back to its original position. "Jess, Alex, those bastards put you through so much in the last few days, I thought you should hear if from a friend instead of an enemy."

Now he felt Krycek's breath in his other ear. "The whole truth, Walter. Tell us everything. They won't be happy with us knowing. Why are you revealing this to us?"

Skinner shuddered. He could feel the weight of Jess's breasts lightly resting his shoulder blades and Krycek's hands lightly caressing his upper thighs. The initial fear was giving away to arousal. "Because my orders didn't include falling in love with both of you," he moaned.

~I knew it, love,~ Jess mindspoke to Krycek. ~Shall you tell him or I?~

But Krycek was already speaking. "And we didn't intend to love you either, Walter. But it's happened."

Skinner was still wondering if he had heard correctly when Krycek's lips closed on his. Then he felt Jess's lips millimeters from his ear again. "Thank you for being honest with us, Walter. We love you too, and we'll just deal with things one day, and one night, at a time." Her lips gently brushed the top of his head.

Skinner pulled away from Krycek's kisses to ask a question. "You're not going to kill me?"

He could feel Jess lightly trace her fingertips across his skull, wiping away a few tears of hers that had fallen on him. Krycek answered for them both. "Walter, we've lost so much in the last few days, we can't bear to lose another loved one."

Skinner relaxed and let Krycek and Jess kiss and nuzzle him. He had told them the truth out of a desire to protect them and without a thought for his own safety. He hadn't expected neither Jess nor Krycek to be this caring towards him after he had come clean. For the first time in many years, he felt loved and protected at the same time.

* * * * * * *

Static filled the screen of the television. Mulder and Scully looked at each other. The unspoken question was clear - 'Now what do we do?'

Four hours ago, a stranger had shown up on their doorstep. Scully had answered the knock, Mulder standing behind her. "May we help you?" Scully asked the old gentleman.

"I sincerely hope so." There was a slight Russian accent to the voice, one that had almost been eliminated through years of speaking English. "I have some information that is of some interest to some friends of yours. My son, to be exact."

Mulder's brow knitted. "Do I know you or your son?"

The old man smiled. "My name is Dmitri Krychekov."

"As in Krycek? You're Krycek's father?" Mulder asked, incredulous.

"Although Alexi would probably say that it has been years since I've acted like one, yes. But I am not here to discuss my family history. I would greatly appreciate if you could get this box," he gestured to a cardboard box, the kind used to store or transport files, beside him, "into Alexi's possession."

Mulder was trying to figure out why he was being used as a messenger boy. "And why don't you give it to them directly?"

The old man sighed deeply. Krychekov looked truly saddened. "My son would not accept anything from my hand. If you ever loved Jessica Leahs, Agent Mulder, you will give this information to her. And if you can't do it for her, do it for my innocent granddaughter."

"I know one thing they would gladly accept from you," Scully said. "Why don't you simply just return Amanda to Jess and Krycek?"

Krychekov smiled sadly. "I wish I could, but I have very little influence in that part of the Project. I have been trying unsuccessfully to locate where she is being kept. Like my coconspirators, I am only human. We're not omnipotent, like you seem to credit Us and our creations as being. Leahs is mortal, not infallible. She thought she was doing the best thing. And I know the pain that foolish pride can bring. I haven't spoken to my son in almost six years. Do not let that happen to you, Agent Mulder." And with those simple words of warning, Krychekov left, never looking back to see if they picked up the box.

After bringing the box inside, Mulder and Scully reviewed the information that Krychekov had left. Parts of it made no sense. What was so important about the video of Michael's and Annie's outdoor wedding that it would be included with a still of Jess and Covarrubias talking, audio feed of Covarrubias being briefed by Well Manicured Man, her contacting a no-name pawn to scare Jess's brother into silencing her and of the Well Manicured Man intercepting the flunky changing those orders to a professional hit? But the last twenty minutes of the video tape needed no explanation. Even without the close up of the child's green eyes and dark hair, the baby crawling towards a coaxing nurse, sitting and laughing in the playpen, and sleeping peacefully in a crib was clearly Amanda.

Jess and Krycek had been right about one thing. Covarrubias could not be trusted. Mulder had called her and if she had seen Jess recently, if there had been any change in the Consortium's stance towards her or her family or if there was any signs of the child she was 'helping' them find. The UN worker had said that she hadn't seen Jess, there had been no actions taken towards her, that none were planned, and there was no sign of the baby. And Mulder felt sickened when Covarrubias suggested in a sultry voice that he 'come' over and they 'discuss' the case the rest of the night.

"Now what?" Scully asked, sitting cross legged on the couch.

"Covarrubias was the one who told me about my mother and Cancerman. It's obvious that I can't trust her." Mulder left his place beside her and ejected the tape. He stared at the blank screen. Jess deserved the information, but he couldn't face her quite yet. He was still too wounded to think about forgiving her. It's almost midnight, Dana. I'm too tired to think straight. Let's just sleep on it."

* * * * * * *

No matter how hard she tried, Jess couldn't sleep. It wasn't the fact that she was spending the first night in her new home. It wasn't the fact that she was distraught over the events of the last two weeks. Some instinct kept telling her that someone was near, that some*thing* was in the house.

The house wasn't empty by any means. Krycek and Skinner were in bed beside her, Lindy in the next bedroom with Patches, her new kitten, curled up besides her.

Realizing that she wasn't going to get a good night's rest, she slid out of the bed and wandered downstairs to the kitchen. She flipped on a light and then bit back a scream of surprise at the sight of the ghost of her dead sister sitting at the table. Despite having experienced several similar visitations, she still felt scared shitless in surprise when Rachel turned up unexpectedly.

Rachel smiled at her. "It's about time you came down here. I was afraid I would have to wait all night." She gestured towards a chair placed in front of a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

Jess sat down on the other chair. "Have you seen Michael and Annie?" she asked, taking a drink.

"Yes. I was there to help ease their passing into the beyond. They send their love, Jessie. And I know you've also seen Uncle."

Jess nodded and turned the cup of chocolate side to side, staring into it. "He said he would find out who killed them."

"Jessie, do not trust him." Rachel's voice carried the tones of an older sister warning her younger sibling not to paw through her stuff.

Jess looked at the shade of her beloved sister. "He's helping us, Rachel."

"No, he's helping himself, and using you to do it." Rachel looked at Jess sadly. "Don't look to our family for comfort. And as odd as it sounds, look to your lifemate's."

Jess sat up. "Alex hasn't been on good terms with his father since he was a child. We aren't even sure if he's alive or not."

"That doesn't matter, Jessie. All that matters is this - do not trust any of our living blood family."

Jess shifted uneasily at her sister's stern warning. "And what about Walter?"

"You can trust your new lover. I have to admit it, sis, I didn't think that you'd be so flexible when it comes to bed partners."

Jess smiled and blushed a bit. "Neither did I." She was curious about something. "Are you going to show yourself to him?"

Rachel shook her head. "I'm not planning to. He has his hands full enough with your lycanthropy without having to deal with another guardian spirit also."

Jess looked at Rachel confused. "Another?"

"He has to explain that to you." Rachel had started to fade, becoming more transparent with each word. "But remember what I said. Do not trust our uncle." And then she was gone.

Jess still stared at where Rachel had stood for several minutes. When there was no further sign of the woman in white, Jess sighed. <I wish she would show up at a happy time in my life,> she thought as she got up from the table.

On her way out of the kitchen, Jess felt a furry warmth brush past her bare feet. Patches rubbed her legs in a feline greeting. "What are you doing out here? You were curled up with Lindy." Lindy didn't like sleeping with an open door, so Patches had been shut in for the night with her. "Don't tell me we'll have to change your name to Mystery the Second," Jess said, remembering fondly her old cat's Houdini-like abilities. She scooped up the ball of fluff and cradled it to her chest. Patches began a contented rumble. "Little purrslut," Jess chided. "You'll purr for anyone anytime." She climbed the stairs and went to return the kitten to Lindy.

The door to Lindy's bedroom was ajar. <That's odd,> Jess thought. <She normally can't sleep when the door is cracked like that.> But it explained how Patches got out. Jess pushed the door wider open, intending to deposit the kitten inside the room. However she froze at the sight of Lindy's bed.

Lindy's empty bed.

* * * * * * *

Lindy wound her way through the maze of the apartment complex with the ease of a predator stalking its kill. She kept alert for signs of anyone following her, easier to do in wolf form than human. Lindy wanted no interruptions before she had reached her goal. Part of her did feel a bit guilty about sneaking out and knew that Jess would be furious if she found out, but Lindy didn't care enough to turn back.

She found what she had been searching for. In a few seconds, the golden adolescent werewolf had Changed back into a normal looking human girl, dressed in jeans and a tee shirt. Lindy checked the address once again and knocked.

It took several repeated rounds of knocking at the door before Lindy heard the sound of someone moving on the other side. Scully, wearing a terry cloth robe, opened the door. "Lindy? What are you doing here? It's three am!" she exclaimed as she let the young girl inside.

Blue eyes that looked much older than they should regarded Scully seriously. "I gotta talk to Mr. Mulder, please."

Mulder had appeared, also wearing a robe. "What's so important, Lindy?" he asked, sitting down on the couch.

Lindy hunched down on a chair at a right angle to the couch. "Why won't you forgive Jess?" she demanded.

Both Mulder and Scully started. "Lindy, how much do you know about this?" Mulder asked.

Lindy shrugged. "Jess told me that she made a bad choice. She didn't tell you something that she should have the moment she found out about it. She told me you were mad at her because you found out. She didn't tell me any details." Lindy looked at Mulder. "Why can't you forgive her? She's really sorry and really miserable."

"Lindy, it's not that simple..." Mulder began. He was interrupted by a furious pounding on the door.

Scully opened it to a very shaken looking Jess. Skinner stood hovering behind her, looking concerned. "Lindy!" she shrieked, and ran to the child. "Don't you *ever* sneak out on me like that again." She pulled Lindy to her in a fierce embrace. She looked like she would never let Lindy go.

"Jess, I'm sorry, but I had to do *something*," Lindy defended. "You've been trying to apologize and he's acting like a son of a..."

"Lindy!" Jess said sharply, fixing her with a steely glare. "This is between me and Mulder." Her face softened. "I know you want to help, but on this one you can't. We'll talk about it when we get home."

Lindy nodded and stood up. Jess took her hand. "I'm really sorry about Lindy showing up like this. I'm also really sorry about what I've done, Dana, Mulder," she said, looking at each person she named.

Scully nodded acknowledgement, but Mulder refused to even look at Jess. Jess looked at the ground and turned back to Skinner, who was still by Scully in the doorway. "C'mon, Lindy," she said, eyes downcast.

She brushed past Scully and Skinner and into the hallway. Skinner also turned to leave when he heard Mulder's voice. "Sir, may I have a word with you please?"

Jess turned to look at Skinner. He dug into the pocket of his trench coat and handed her his cell phone and keys. "Wait in the car and call Alex about Lindy," he said, forgetting that she probably had already let Krycek know, using her mindpowers. Jess nodded and led Lindy on their way.

He turned back to Mulder and Scully. "Yes, Agent Mulder?" he inquired. But Mulder had gotten up and went into the bedroom. Skinner looked at Scully. She shrugged her shoulders.

Skinner was just about to leave when Mulder returned, carrying the box Krychekov had left with them earlier. "Tell her I forgive her, but I can't see her just yet," Mulder said, offering Skinner the package of documents, audio tapes, photos and videos. "I can't say when I will, but I can say that I will. And if half this information is correct, I do understand what she will do. And I don't blame her."

Skinner nodded as he took the box. "I'll let her know." Then he left, following Jess down the hallway.

Scully closed the door and turned to Mulder. "Are Jess and Skinner having an affair?" she demanded.

Mulder did his best to feign ignorance. "What makes you say that, Dana?"

Scully listed off the items. "One, he was with her at three am, not Krycek. Two, I saw the way he looked at her. Three, you're trying to act like you noticed nothing out of the ordinary, but you obviously know something. So answer my question - is she cheating on Krycek by sleeping with Skinner?"

Mulder sighed. Maybe it was time to tell her about Jess and Krycek and Skinner. But that also meant revealing the truth about why she was here, warm and alive, instead of in a grave, cold and dead. "I can honestly say that Jess isn't cheating on Krycek or vice versa. But as for the other part..." he trailed off.

Scully's eyes widened. "Jess and Krycek *and* Skinner?!? But... *why*??" she sputtered at Mulder's confirming nod.

Mulder took her hands in his large, warm ones. "That's a long story, Dana. It will take the rest of the night to explain."

"Fox, we have all the time in the world," Scully responded.

<Do we?> Mulder thought. There was always a possibility of her cancer returning. But now he needed to explain how it went into remission in the first place. Mulder led her back to the couch and prepared to tell her the whole story.

* * * * * * *

Krycek watched Jess worriedly from the bottom of the stairs. Jess had refused to go back to sleep when she and Skinner brought Lindy home. Instead, she had dove into the box and pulled out the video She was watching it over and over again. That in and of itself didn't worry Krycek. He planned to watch parts of it over and over with her, to memorize the image of their missing daughter. But this was different. Jess was rewatching images of her dead family and clearly obsessing over the sight of her brother.

He finally decided that enough was enough. He walked over to Jess and stood in front of the TV. "Jess, come on upstairs. You're overtired and need some sleep."

Jess shook her head. "There's got to be something important on this tape," she muttered.

Krycek took the remote from her hand that clutched it. "There is, but you're not going to see it if you're half asleep. And we have the files and audio tape to search through. You need to be wide awake to find anything."

Jess sighed and closed her eyes. "Okay," she said. She stood up and walked over to the VCR. She was so tired, she missed hitting the stop key and hit pause again. She glanced at the screen and froze. She knelt down and stared closer at the screen.

Now Krycek was really worried. He had almost convinced her to come upstairs, and now she was focused on the screen again. "Jess?"

"The lying son of a bitch," she whispered. Her voice grew as her fury did. "He lied to me. The bastard *knew* the whole *damn* time!"

Her lifemate looked at her puzzled. "Jess, who knew what?"

"*He* *knew* *everything*!!!" she screamed, pointing a shaking finger at a figure on the screen. The videographer had panned the crowd at the outdoor wedding. In the background, one figure could be seen clearly standing away from the group. And even at that distance, it was easy to recognize the Well Manicured Man aloofly watching the happy couple and the sister/sister-in-law/bridesmaid.

* * * * * * *

Scully sat quietly besides Mulder, absorbing everything she had been told. She was in shock over what Skinner had done for her and amazed at the depth of love that Jess and Krycek shared to allow their part to happen.

"Dana?" Mulder asked softly. He was worried by her silence.

"Fox, I wish you had told me this a lot sooner," she said slowly. She laid a hand on his. "But I forgive you for withholding the full truth from me."

Mulder mentally winced at her words. That was the exact same thing he had accused Jess of doing. He stared out the window of their apartment, watching the first flush of sunrise. <Why can't I let Jess off as easily?>

He didn't realize he had spoken his thought aloud until Scully answered him. "Because you're angry at your mother, but don't think you have the permission to express it. Jess is just a convenient target, a substitute."

There was a truth to her words. Mulder laughed quietly. "I though I was the psychologist here. And is Krycek a substitute for that smoking bastard?"

"No, you're really pissed at Krycek. And Jess, but you're making her the head villain when she was a pawn doing what she thought was best."

Mulder nodded. "I'll have a long talk with her when she gets back from New York."

Scully looked up, confused. "She's going to New York?"

"If I know her, she's going to displace some of her own anger on Covarrubias. But she won't go after Covarrubias's superior, at least not yet."

* * * * * * *

As Covarrubias once again left the UN Building late at night, she scanned the surrounding area. Assured that no one was in the shadows waiting to jump her, she started cautiously towards the parking garage to retrieve her car and go home.

Then she heard a low woof. It was answered with two soft barks and followed by snarls. Covarrubias peered into the darkness. She saw a gleam of light reflected off blue eyes to her right. Glancing to her left, she could make out the vague shape of a black and white husky. And she heard the scritch of a dog's nails coming from the darkness in front of her.

Stepping into the light, the werewolves paced forward, stalking her from three different directions. Covarrubias drew her gun and aimed at first the white and black male, then the solid black female, and then the smaller gold female. If she shot one, the others would attack, so she backed slowly the way the wolves were herding her. She was so intent on the trio following her, she backed right into the tall man in the trench coat. "What are you doing here?" she asked, looking at the Well Manicured Man.

He smiled, and the blond shivered. "Just checking in. You haven't made a report recently."

"There has been nothing to report," she said.

"Except the fact that Agent Mulder is aware of his true family now. And the fact that Leahs's family is dead and her home desecrated. And the fact that you arranged it all." He lifted a hand to silence her protest. "Don't lie to me by trying to deny it. You made a few too many amateurish mistakes when they threatened you. You struck back too hard."

"I didn't order Leahs's brother killed, just to be threatened. His death was an accident." Covarrubias defended.

Her eye's widened at the lies mixed with the truth in his next statements. "But you did tell Agent Mulder about his true heritage, and of Leahs's knowledge of it. You came to me for advice." That was the truth. "You ignored my orders to leave well enough alone, that she would be dealt with in other ways. You overstated the threat that they are to Us." That was the lie.

The werewolves circled around her and were now crouched at Well Manicured Man's feet, preparing to spring. Covarrubias gathered her composure. "You won't let them kill me. If they move against one of Us, their daughter will suffer the consequences. Her life now depended on the predators paternal instincts. "They have no friends among Us to shield their precious Amanda."

The three werewolves were grinning and drooling in anticipation now, the soft growls growing in volume and intensity. Well Manicured Man looked at them with an indulgent smile. He rested a hand lightly on the shoulders of the black female. "You should learn from my niece. She knows when and how to play her hand." He then turned and walked away.

Covarrubias looked at the werewolves in horror. She had been set up and was now about to be disposed of. "He lied. I didn't order your brother to be killed," she whispered as the carnivores advanced. "He was supposed to be warned, that's all." But the wolves were implacable. She turned to run.

She didn't get any further than two steps. Lindy attacked first, hamstringing Covarrubias's right leg. Without letting go, Lindy twisted her jaws, making the blond fall on her back instead of stomach.

Krycek pounced next. He straddled Covarrubias, reared back, lunged forward, and bit just below her left shoulder, ivory fangs shearing through flesh and bone. Her screams reminded him of his when his arm was hacked off. Only his were bitter in his throat, her's sweet in his ears.

When Krycek backed away, Jess picked up where he left off. Her claws tapped just below Covarrubias's navel, and then gouged into her belly. She slit up to the sternum and yanked out the still beating heart. Jess sat back on her haunches and growled in satisfaction as her claws pierced the bloody organ she held in her fist. Then the three began to tear at the body the way they would a deer they had brought down, working out all their fear and anger and hatred and frustration.

The Well Manicured Man never looked back as the werewolves savaged the body. His associates would not be pleased when they found out that yet another flunky had been found out and dealt with, but they would have to accept with it. In this world, it was a part of life that sacrifices must be made. And if his niece were to become loyal to him out of gratitude, this was one sacrifice he would willingly condone.

Even if he hadn't been the one who told her that Covarrubias had 'caused' her such anguish.

He was puzzled though. Only because he had someone watching her did he know she was about to move against Covarrubias. How Jess figured out who had carried out the orders that resulted in the death of her family did cause him some concern. If she continued to think and act independently, that would be a problem. Another sacrifice might have to be made. He would regret it because he did have a genuine affection for his niece, but the Consortium's protection came first.

* * * * * * *

Krychekov watched the video of the assassination by werewolf with a grim satisfaction. He noticed with a trace of disappointment that neither Jess nor his son turned on the Well Manicured Man after they had finished with Covarrubias. <They must be intending to try to manipulate him into revealing where Amanda is,> he thought approvingly. It was a plan that spoke of maturity and cunning and patience, one that he would have implemented himself.

The violent pounding on his study door started him. "Sir?" called the excited voice of his aide.

"Come in." The young man almost tore the door off its hinges in his eagerness to get inside. "What is it?"

Triumph shone in the aide's eyes, revealing his apparent greenness to this world of intrigue and power. "I have located your granddaughter!"

* * * * * * *

Jess and Krycek sat outside on the back porch, stealing a quiet moment together. They talked over all the recent changes in their lives, from Krycek becoming a werewolf again through their recent actions.

"Rachel was right," Jess said. "Uncle can't be trusted." She sighed and looked at her feet. "Do you have any idea who really gave us the information? Was it Cancerman? Mulder? Dana?"

"I don't know, Jess." Krycek looked up into the star lit sky. "Maybe we'll find out, and find Amanda, someday."

Jess leaned her head against his shoulder. Krycek kissed her hair and put an arm around her waist. They stayed that way until Lindy and Skinner came out searching for them. The older man and the girl had just gotten back from getting take-out and a movie for them to enjoy. "Are you guys going to stay out here all night?" Lindy asked exasperated that they hadn't moved for the half hour they had been gone.

Jess lifted her head from Krycek's shoulder as they turned to face the pair. "Maybe," she said with a grin.

"Well," Skinner said. "The pizza's here, so if you two want any, get your butts inside."

Krycek stood up, mumbling something under his breath about how werewolves shouldn't take orders from any human, no matter how good he was in bed, but Jess remained sitting. "You coming?" he asked.

"Tonight if I'm lucky." Jess ducked the half-aimed swat at her head. "Give me a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay," Krycek said. "But don't blame me if you get stuck with the anchovies." He turned and walked into the house with Skinner and Lindy.

Jess sighed and looked back up at the night sky. <I'll make it up to you, Mulder,> she thought. <I'll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness. And, soon, I'll find you, Amanda. And when I do, we'll all be together again like it should be.>

She stood up and dusted herself off. Not really paying attention, she wandered back inside.

"Jess? You okay?" she heard a concerned voice ask. Mulder's voice.

Jess stopped short, not believing her ears. Yes, Mulder was standing before her, his face sorrowful. She could see Scully standing in the background along with Krycek, Lindy and Skinner. "Mulder," she said, her eyes tearing. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you," she whispered as she started to cry.

Mulder crossed over to her and put his arms around her in a brotherly embrace. "I know, hell beast. I forgive you." He took a ragged breath. "And about how I reacted, I'm sorry too."

Krycek wasn't the only one who sighed in relief. Jess and Mulder held each other, swaying and whispering apologies and accepting their blame. He heard Lindy's mindvoice ask a question puzzledly. ~Alex, are we all a family again?~

He squeezed Lindy's shoulder. ~We always were, Lindy,~ he mindspoke back. ~And we always will be.~ 

 

* * *

 

Loup Garou X - Farewell  
by Shael -   
http://www.imadethis.org/loupgarou.htm  
Most of them belong to TenThirteen Productions. No copyright infringement intended.  
PG13 for Language  
Synopsis - Jess ruminates at Mulder's funeral  
Season 4 spoilers.

* * *

You selfish bastard.

I'm standing in front of your grave. And no matter how hard I try, I keep having these sad and angry thoughts. The sad ones are appropriate. The angry ones I can't express here, at your burial.

You went off and left her alone. You pulled the ultimate ditch on Dana, didn't you? All because you couldn't face the truth, you son of a bitch.

Or what you thought was the truth. Maybe what you thought was the truth was no more than a new lie.

And I can't believe you made her tell them. She barely had time to ID your body before she had to rush off to the hearing. I wish to a God I barely believe in anymore that I had got that call and not her.

But she was your partner, she should have done it. But I would have spared her that. I would have been willing to identify your remains, so she wouldn't have to remember seeing you with half your head blown off. Yes, it would be a burden to live with, seeing you like that, but I would have done so willingly, if to spare a dear friend from such pain. After all, I am, I mean was, your close friend.

And I do love you.

Not romantically, although once I thought I did. But I love you like a brother. And I know in a lot of ways, I substituted for Samantha in your mind.

Are you with Samantha now? Is she really dead like you feared? Are you with her and at peace? Or are you still wondering? Or are you asking 'why' like we are? Why did I/he give up? Why couldn't have I/they helped? Why didn't I/they see this coming and prevent it? Why did I/he leave them/us?

I stood in front of your mother, to 'comfort' her during the funeral as the tradition is. I know she never thought I was good enough for you when we dated. Doesn't every mother think that about her only son's girlfriend? But she was always so distant, so wounded and so defensive around me. I think she didn't like me because she saw so much of herself in me, but along a different path. I know she saw me at the service, but didn't didn't so much as blink at me. Only when it is my turn to 'comfort' the grieving mother, and we saw each other's pain did she not turn away from me. It's a small step, but a step.

And he was there too. The Cancerman. Always in the background, hiding among the shadows. But for once, I saw real human emotion on his face. No tears, that would be seen as a weakness, but a contained sorrow. He was genuinely sorry to see you dead. I caught his eye at one point, and nodded to him, showing that I knew he was there, even if no one else knew why. He greives your loss also, Mulder, but could never publicly show it. I think, in some twisted shadowy way, he did care for you. And somehow, I get the feeling that he was not directly involved in this, that he was unable to stop it.

And believe it or not, it looked like three quarters of the FBI turned out to pay last respects. Not only Skinner and Blevins, but many of the agents you butted heads with over your theories, the same ones who called you Spooky. Now they are here, honoring the brilliant man who so often gave them the clue that helped them solve some of their cases, but didn't want the credit. All you wanted to do was stay in the basement and pursue the truth, be it about an alien abductor or an all too human murderer.

The Lone Gunmen were here too. They were all subdued, in shock like the rest of us. Frohike sidled up to me at one point. He told me that he was looking for the one who caused this and asked if I wanted a piece of the man who drove you to suicide. I looked at him, about to make a cutting remark to the effect that this had better not be a sick pick up line, when I saw he was serious. I nodded. You may have put the gun to your head and pulled the trigger, but someone put the thoughts in your head that made you pick up the gun. That's murder as far as I'm concerned. I am a firm believer in an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for life.

I kept putting off going over to Dana. Talking to her would be putting the final nails in your coffin. She has been standing with her family, so brave, not letting out your final secret. Afraid that even in death, it could be used to hurt you. She has been mourning like a friend and partner, but not allowed to mourn as a lover. That will be done later, privately.

I finally got the courage up to talk to her. I put my arms around her neck and hold her close. "Dana, I am so sorry," I whisper. And then I lose control and begin to sob like a hysterical child. She holds onto me, greiving but controled. Looking at us, you'd think I was the lover and she was the best friend. Maybe it is better for people to think that, if it helps hide your secret. And you've kept mine for so long, this is the least I could do for you.

Now your casket is being lowered into the grave. I have one last act to perform. I loosen the ribon holding the boquet I brought to the funeral and toss it onto the casket, so the flowers scatter into the grave. Many had wondered at it since it was made of white and purple Digitalis purpurea and yellow Anconitum lycoctonum - foxglove and wolfsbane.

Hell, I thought it was fitting. I had to spend half the night on the phone before I found a florist who had them, so I wasn't going to let them go to waste.

It is almost time for me to leave, my friend. Lindy, brave soul, tried to come, but couldn't make it. She doesn't want to think that the first man she remembers who didn't try to take advantage of her is gone forever. And maybe I should have forced her to come, to face reality but I couldn't find it in my heart to do so. Alex wanted to come, but couldn't, not with the place crawling with FBI. It may be your funeral, but I'm sure some agents, looking for a commendation, would have made it his also. He will come tonight and mourn by the light of the full moon.

As will I. But for now I must say goodbye.

You selfish bastard. 

 

* * *

 

All the X-File regulars belong to TenThirteen Productions and are being used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. Everyone else belongs and is copyrighted to me. I promise to put my toys back where I found them when I'm finished playing with them.  
The quote below from 'White Fang' is used without permission, and no disrespect is intended.  
Rating of NC17 for graphic M/F and M/M/F sex.  
Synopsis - Despite the Consortium's interference and their uncertainty over Amanda, Krycek and Jess try to live their lives.  
All previous Loup Garou stories are available at Gossamer, at my website http://www.imadethis.org/loupgarou.htm, or directly from me at .  
Any and all feedback is appreciated.

* * *

Loup Garou - Children  
by Shael ()  
Uploaded August 4th, 1997

"But the Wild is the Wild, and motherhood is motherhood, at all time fiercely protective whether in the Wild or out of it..."  
\- Jack London 'White Fang'

* * * * * * *

Mulder walked down the street amongst the run down buildings. He had been doing a lot of thinking about a lot of things. His life had radically changed in a week. He had found out about a truth about Cancerman, a truth that almost destroyed a friendship.

<This will make up for what I said to Jess,> Mulder thought. On finding out the truth about who his father was, and Jess's knowledge of it, he took out all his anger and pain on her. And then he found out that it was part of a set up designed to terrorize Jess. He had been manipulated to add to her pain, just as she had been manipulated to add to his.

He paused in front of his destination, a decrepit office building that had seen better days. Mulder pushed open a door walked into the offices of the Lone Gunmen.

Langley looked up at Mulder's entrance. "So what do you have for us this time?"

Mulder grinned. "A challenge." He handed over the file he was carrying to Beyers. It was a copy of the information that Krychekov had given him to pass on to Jess and Krycek. "I need you boys to identify the doctor or location that are in these photos."

Frohike looked up from the camera he was fiddling with. "Why us, Mulder? You've got people at the FBI who can do that."

Mulder shook his head. He had told Jess yet that he had forgiven her. This was to be a surprise for her, to prove that he really had. And although Krycek had been protected from the repercussions of his betrayal of his oath to the FBI by Cancerman and his associates, there was no sense in taking foolish chances. "Not if they knew who's involved."

* * * * * * *

Krychekov watched the video of the assassination by werewolf with a grim satisfaction. He noticed with a trace of disappointment that neither Jess nor his son turned on the Well Manicured Man after they had finished with Covarrubias. <They must be intending to try to manipulate him into revealing where Amanda is,> he thought approvingly. It was a plan that spoke of maturity and cunning and patience, one that he would have implemented himself.

The violent pounding on his study door started him. "Sir?" called the excited voice of his aide.

"Come in." The young man almost tore the door off its hinges in his eagerness to get inside. "What is it?"

Triumph shone in the aide's eyes, revealing his apparent greenness to this world of intrigue and power. "I have located your granddaughter!"

Krychekov was shocked. His new aide had shown promise and raw talent, but he had not expected him to find Amanda so quickly. "How did you do it?"

His aide shrugged his shoulders. "I had started by asking for information about obtaining a werewolf as a bodyguard, as you suggested. And this woman contacted me, saying she helped care for Jessica Leahs during her abduction and believed she was now taking care her child. She thought we would be interested in this information."

Krychekov leaned back in his chair. "And what do you propose we do now?"

The aide stated the obvious conclusion. "We go get her."

A half smile curled one corner of Krychekov's lips. "And what do we do if our associates decide that they do not want to give her to us?"

"We, um.... We...," the aide stammered.

Krychekov nodded. "Exactly. They will not grant me custody of her. We cannot take her by force. For the moment, the fact we know where she is is enough."

* * * * * * *

Well Manicured Man walked along the fence of the corral, admiring the Arabian stallion he had acquired. The coal black stud was still adapting to his new surrounding, rendering him skittish and slightly wild. <Just like my niece,> he thought.

His niece was a concern at this moment. After assassinating Covarrubias, Jess had quietly gone back to her life. None of the expected demands to see her daughter were made. Instead of the grateful, dutiful niece he thought he would see, there was a wary distant woman. <It's almost as if she knew I ordered her brother killed.>

Ordering Michael's death had been one of the harder things for him to do. But he had to follow the path that would be the most profitable to the Consortium. Michael wasn't a werewolf, but Jess was. Sacrifices sometime had to be made. Jess needed to be completely demoralized before she would listen to him.

And then there was another problem. Jess and Krycek had known that Covarrubias done the dirty work. However he was not certain if they knew the whole truth, that he had intercepted Covarrubias's instructions and changed them from a strong arm threat to death orders. He had intended to reveal to Jess that the UN worker had a hand in her brother's death, but not nearly as soon as Jess found out.

The stallion trotted up to him and snorted. Well Manicured Man reached out and stroked the elegant beast's nose, noting that the horse was learning to trust him. He had to gain Jess's trust. If he could convince Jess that serving the Consortium by serving him, things would be so much easier for her. Krycek would follow her blindly out of love. Otherwise he would be forced to see her destroyed. He would regret it, but the Consortium's needs came first.

* * * * * * *

Jess sat in front of her laptop computer, eying the CD ROM jewel box beside it thoughtfully. <Staring at it won't tell me what's on it,> she thought.

The CD had been found inside the box that had held the information about who had ordered Jess's brother's death. It had literally been found *inside* the box, discovered when she had broken it down to be recycled.

She heard the sound of someone walking down the stairs. "I finally managed to corner Patches and put her in with Lindy. She says she's going to sleep," Krycek said, coming into the living room. He walked up behind her and kissed the top of his head. "Decide what to do yet?"

"No," Jess said. "It could be programmed to dump my data somewhere and then erase my hard drive, or worse. I'm not sure I'm willing to reload everything again."

"It came from whoever gave us that information about your uncle and Covarrubias." The name still rolled off his tongue with a trace of bitter anger, even though they had exacted deadly revenge on the UN plant. "I say we trust whoever it is and load the CD."

Jess glanced at Krycek in surprise. "You're saying to trust this unknown person? Why?"

"I honestly can't say," Krycek sighed, nuzzling his lover's hair. "I just have this feeling..." he trailed off.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Jess said, sliding the CD into the drive. It was formatted for her system and opened automatically. Inside the active window was a self extracting archive. Jess looked back at Krycek. He nodded. Jess traced her finger along the trackpad to double click the icon and start the extraction process.

"Hmmph," Krycek said after the program loaded itself onto Jess's desktop. "Looks like an internet chat program."

"But look at it's size," Jess said, keying up the about-this-program box. "It is at least ten times larger than it should be. Let's check the readme.txt file." She opened her word processor and selected the file. The program refused to open the file. "Non-recognizable format?" she said questioningly.

"Try clicking it like it's an application," Krycek suggested.

Jess shrugged and did so. Both she and Krycek jumped when a heavily synthesized voice, obviously digitally altered, issued from the computer's speaker. "Greetings," it said in a metallic monotone. "You made a wise decision in installing these programs. I am a member of the Consortium, but disagree with it's actions concerning you. If you need information concerning certain events, use the integrated chat/e-mail software to contact me. It is heavily encrypted and will not be detected by most forms of bugging software. I understand any hesitation that you would have about using it, but I am here to help. Be safe and well."

Jess leaned back against Krycek's stomach as he massaged her shoulders. "It looks like there's a new player on the block." He bent down to kiss her ear. "Come on, let's go to bed."

Jess stood up and put an arm around his waist. Together, they walked upstairs. The first room on the left they passed was a nursery for a little girl, complete with a crib. While Jess had been missing, Krycek and Lindy had gone ahead and furnished the bedroom. And although Mulder, Scully, and Skinner kept telling them it was not healthy, neither Jess nor Krycek could find it in their hearts convert the room back to the den it was before. In their minds, to do so would to be denying Amanda existed, and giving up any hope of ever finding her.

The next bedroom was on the right. Jess paused by the slightly opened door and looked inside. The stuffed animals and toys were slowly being replaced by books, CD's and a stereo. <She's almost an adult.> She smiled sadly. ~My little girl is growing up,~ she mindspoke.

Krycek kissed her temple. ~You've done a wonderful job raising her,~ he mindspoke back.

Jess squeezed her arm around his waist and resumed the walk to their bedroom. Once there, they both undressed and got ready to go to sleep. After they got under the cotton sheets, they spooned together on their sides, just wanting to be close to each other. ~Feels weird that Walter isn't here,~ Krycek mindspoke, referring to the fact that Skinner was out of town at a conference.

~Yeah, it does seem strange.~ Jess gave a deep sigh. ~Do you think we'll ever get a chance to raise Amanda?~

Krycek gently stroked Jess's hair. ~I hope with all my heart that we will.~

* * * * * * *

The first thing he noticed was the sound of a baby's coo. Krycek looked around the unfamiliar room he found himself in. The only piece of furniture in it was a wooden cradle, painted white. He walked over to it and looked at the young baby lying in the cradle, resting his arms on the edge. The little girl with fine, dark hair cooed again. He reached down to stroke her cheek but she was just beyond his reach. Resting his chest against the side of the crib, he stretched his arm down as far as he could. And no matter how he tried, he couldn't touch her. Maybe if he leaned over a little further....

Krycek woke with a start. He managed to catch himself before falling out of bed. He shoved himself back on the mattress and sighed. <Amanda, where are you?> he thought. It had been a dream he had several times before, and always ends the same way, him unable to touch her.

Krycek heard the front door open and close. He rolled over in bed and sat up, noting it was 10:30 AM. <Here I am always accusing Jess of being a late sleeper, and I've already spent half the morning in bed,> he thought. They had flipped a coin early the night before, betting on who would take Lindy to school and make a grocery run. Jess lost and had been up since 6:30 AM. He half expected her to come up stairs and razz him for being in bed still, but was surprised when she didn't show after ten minutes. Grabbing jeans and a shirt, he pulled them on and went downstairs.

He found her sitting in the darkened living room, her head in her hands. "Hey beautiful," Krycek said, dropping a kiss on her hair. He sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Alex," she said with barely a sound. "I may have just ruined our chances of ever getting Amanda back."

"What?" Krycek blurted, feeling a chill stab through his heart. <Is that why I dreamed I couldn't reach her?>

Jess nodded. "When I came out of the grocery store, Cancerman was waiting for me with another proposition."

Krycek pulled her a little closer. Even before Jess had gotten pregnant, Cancerman had offered them protection if they did his dirty work. "What kind of proposition was it this time?"

Jess swallowed. Her eyes narrowed in anger and gleamed in grief. "I guess he figured that if I was willing to sleep with both you and Skinner, I wasn't choosy. He said that if I had sex with him on a regular basis, he would see to it that we would regain Amanda and she wouldn't be taken from us."

"That black lunged bastard!" Krycek roared. All the other offers had involved spying or thieving, nothing so intimate or degrading. The thought of Jess and Cancerman turned his stomach. "He's fucked with us one too many times. Consortium or no, I am going to *kill* that son of a bitch!"

"Alex, wait!" Jess had followed him and grabbed on to his arm. "For Amanda's sake we can't make him any madder. And believe me, I did make him mad."

Krycek took a deep breath as he realized that Jess had probably also lost her temper when confronted with such a choice. "What did you do?"

"I got angry," Jess said simply. "I once told Mulder that I would be capable of it, but I was just so... repulsed. I called him every swear word I could think of, plus invented a few new ones. I told him there was no way in hell that I would sleep with him."

He reached out and stroked her cheek. "And what happened?"

"He just stood there damned impassive, the way he always is and said something about just showing how little I loved my daughter by not accepting his generous offer." Her head bowed. "And then I really lost my temper."

<Lost her temper?> Krycek didn't like the sound of that. Jess had, once she had found out what she was, kept an iron tight leash on her more feral bloodthirsty reactions. "You didn't bite him, did you?"

Jess sighed and looked at the ceiling. She then stood and paced the room like a panther in a cage. "The parking lot was deserted, just me and him. I was so angry, I had partially Changed and didn't know it. I reached out and slapped him, not realizing until too late what shape I was in and that my claws weren't fully retracted. I didn't scratch him deeply, but enough to leave my mark. I don't think he believed that I actually did that and neither did I, at least not until he reached up and touched the blood oozing from his cuts." Stopping in front of the large picture window, she stared outside for a moment and then shut her eyes. "Then he told me I had just lost any chance of regaining Amanda."

He stood up and crossed the room to her and put his hands around her waist. "No wonder, Jess. In the labs, I never saw a werewolf raise a talon against a human master, especially him. He was trying to reassert his dominance over you, scare you back into submission." Krycek guided her back to the couch and sat her down.

"Whatever," Jess said. "At that point, I couldn't take any more. I jumped in the car and drove home. The groceries are still out in the car. I bet the melted ice cream and the upholstery look lovely together."

"We'll get it cleaned," he said. He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck.

Jess leaned against him and closed her eyes, trying to be brave. "It wasn't so much what he offered that made me angry. I half expected something like that." She bit her lip, trying to hold back her emotions. "What made me angry is that for five seconds I seriously considered doing it." She covered her eyes with her hands. "Oh God, Alex," she moaned. "I considered it! What have I become?"

Krycek rocked her gently. "You've become an incredible woman coping with an intolerable situation. I'm not mad at you for considering it. I'd only be upset if you agreed to it. Go ahead and let it out," he said, his eyes tearing as well. Jess began to sob inconsolably, afraid that she had lost her last chance to regain their daughter.

They both sat their and cried, trying to ease their grief. Eventually their tears did stop. Krycek stroked her hair. "Why don't you go upstairs and start a bubble bath. It'll help you feel better. And I promise to scrub your back."

"That does sound tempting." Jess wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'll go get it started." She stood up and kissed him. "Everything's going to be fine, right?"

Krycek tenderly kissed her in reply. "I promise," he whispered. "Now go upstairs. I'll be there in a few moments."

Jess nodded and gave him one last kiss. She turned and went upstairs. Krycek leaned back against the couch and rubbed his eyes tiredly. <He's gone too far this time,> Krycek thought. He stood up and looked at her laptop. He turned it on as he heard the water start running upstairs.

Focusing on the screen he moved the pointer to the mysterious piece of software. He double clicked it. A dialogue box appeared, offering two choices - 'send email' or 'chat.' Krycek chose the email option and typed a one line message.

"Please, we need your help."

Pausing for a moment, he folded his hands as if in prayer. <This could still be a trap,> he thought. <But I can't let this go on any longer. He's hurt her too much this time. It's time we took the offensive and took back our own.>

He could hear Jess moving around the upstairs. "Alex?" she called. "Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute." With a sigh, he clicked the 'send message' button. <I hope this is the right thing to do.>

* * * * * * *

Krychekov sat in front of his computer, wondering if he had miscalculated. He had been certain that his son would have contacted him by now. <Perhaps he knows that I gave him that information,> he thought. <Perhaps his pride and anger a too great to overcome.>

As he prepared to log off his terminal, the 'new mail' icon started flashing. Krychekov guided his mouse to the blinking icon and clicked it. The mail screen came up and the new piece of mail was automatically opened.

He read the message and sighed in relief. <It appears that Mulder did not tell Alexi who gave him the box, unless Leahs is going behind his back and contacting me without Alexi knowing it,> Krychekov thought. <I will have to be careful that my identity does not become known, or else he will shy away, thinking that I am manipulating them.> And that was the last thing she wanted.

But his son's plea, even though made to a stranger, made him feel hopeful that their burnt bridges could be rebuilt. But right now he didn't have time to sit and contemplate. He had an appointment that could possibly help him help his son regain Amanda. <It is a dangerous request, but it may work,> he thought as he logged off and closed up his office.

Krychekov went outside and got into the waiting car. "Where to, sir?" the driver asked.

"The J. Edgar Hoover Building," was the terse answer. As he was driven there, he went over his plan in his mind. <If I can gain his trust, he would be a great source of information,> Krychekov thought.

The driver deposited him outside the gray building. Krychekov went inside and wove his way through the maze of floors, elevators, and offices to find the office he was looking for, the door open since he was expected. It would surprise most people to learn that it was not a dark place but brightly lit with several lamps and a large window, perhaps a vain attempt to counteract the shadowy life the occupant lead. It wasn't sparsely furnished, but there were no personal items, as if the owner had never really lead a life outside of his duty.

"Dmitri," Cancerman said in a falsely friendly tone, rising from his chair to offer the Russian his hand. "It has been a while. Have a seat. What can I do for you?"

Krychekov shook Cancerman's hand and sat down in the chair in front of the large mahogany desk. He idly wondered who or what gave the Cigarette Smoking Man the four parallel scratches on his cheek that were held closed with butterfly tape. "After helping you with the Tunguska incident, you told me if I needed a favor, just to ask. I am here about that promise."

Cancerman nodded, not certain he liked this turn of events. Krychekov had been instrumental in helping smuggle Fox Mulder, and the family he befriended, out of Russia without incident. Krychekov had bribed and coerced so skillfully that Mulder still probably didn't have a clue that the 'dangerous' post-gulag parts of his escape had been staged to keep it from looking too easy. It would pay to keep the Russian an ally, but he would make sure that any favor he would be asked to perform would put him ahead in the long run. "What do you need?"

Now for the delicate part. "I have been following with some interest the Loup Garou section of the Project, especially the breeding program. Amazing work has been done in that area."

"Yes," Cancerman said cautiously. "Although the survival rate is lower than we would like it to be, nine out of ten breedings produce a pregnancy. Among chosen adults, the Change's physical side is one hundred percent effective, although the psychic side is harder to replicate. What does that have to do with the favor?"

"I am looking into having a new bodyguard assigned to me. Why not one of the adults, to show off to other associates how successful the Training program has been."

Cancerman frowned. He had expected Krychekov to ask about seeing or obtaining Jess and Krycek's whelp. His own spies reported that Krycek had no contact with his father, but the bond between a father and a son was strong, even when all but ignored. He trusted Krychekov no more than he trusted Krychekov's son. <This could be worked to my advantage.> "That is arrangeable. I'll arrange to send to you some evaluation packets so you can choose an adult that will be compatible with your needs."

Krychekov nodded. "Then I will be on my way. Doing business with you has been the same as always."

It was a compliment only on the surface. "The feeling is mutual, Dmitri."

* * * * * * *

Jess eased down into the warm water, sliding in until her nose was just above the raspberry scented bubbles. <Alex was right,> she thought as her muscles relaxed. <I do feel better now, and I haven't even been in here thirty seconds.>

Even over the running water, she clearly heard Krycek moving downstairs. She had heard the chime of her computer as it powered up. Jess sighed and shut her eyes. She knew what he was doing. <I just hope it's not Cancerman or Uncle toying with us,> she thought sleepily.

When Krycek came upstairs, Jess was snoozing in the tub. He smiled as he knelt and looked at his lover, who was about to slip under the surface of the water at any moment. Ever so gently, he tilted her head back so her nose stayed clear of the foam.

Jess smiled and sat back up a little. "I thought you had forgotten me."

"Never." He leaned forward and chastely kissed her on the lips. As he pulled back, Jess put a suds covered hand behind his neck, pulling him in closer. "I'm a bit overdressed for the occasion," he murmured as she nuzzled his cheek.

"So take care of the problem," she whispered, withdrawing her hand.

"I will," he whispered huskily. He stood up and left the room. Jess wasn't sure why he left. She had expected him to strip off and dive into the tub. But she wasn't disappointed when he returned. Krycek stepped into the bathroom, wearing nothing but a skimpy, low slung towel around his hips and a large grin.

Jess ogled him appreciatively but with a raised eyebrow. "You're still overdressed."

Krycek's smile grew wider. "Not for long," he said. "But first I want to scrub your back like I promised. Sit up."

Jess rolled forward and scooted towards the faucet. Krycek shucked the towel and climbed into the tub behind her, framing his legs around hers. Grabbing a thick washcloth and a cake of soap, he worked up a rich lather. Krycek began tracing her spine with a firm circular motion. Jess trembled and gave a low moan. He slowly began washing her back, his hands straying closer and closer to her sides. When he found a tense muscle, he massaged it until he felt it ease under his hands. As Jess relaxed further, he began kissing her neck.

Jess gave another soft moan and leaned back against him. Krycek's lips found the tender spot between neck and shoulder and began to nibble, rubbing the washcloth across her stomach. Jess squirmed against him. He gave up any pretense of 'clean' thoughts and brought his hands to her chest, cupping her breasts, thumbing her nipples. Jess groaned and reached behind her, searching by feel for his erection. Finding it, she squeezed lightly his steel wrapped in velvet. They spent several long minutes teasing each other with feather light touches followed by firm strokes.

Finally, Jess's desire got the better of her patience. She rolled over and pressed her body against Krycek's. One arm went around his waist, another around his shoulders, and she pressed her mouth to his. Licking and nibbling his lips, their tongues darted and dueled. Krycek's hands slid from her mid back to her ass scratching her lightly with his nails, relishing the whimpering noises she made.

Given the confining space in the tub, it should have been impossible for Krycek and Jess to switch positions. But somehow they managed it, sloshing half the water and foam out of the tub. Reaching for a towel, he folded it and put it behind her head to cushion it from the hard ceramic edge. She pulled his head back down for another breath stealing kiss. Caught up in the moment where foreplay ended and the actual lovemaking began, Krycek paused looked into her glowing eyes.

Jess reached up and stroked his cheek. He was staring at her as if he had something to say, but couldn't phrase it. "Is something wrong, Alex?" she asked, concerned.

Krycek pressed his lips to Jess's forehead. "When I first made love to you," he whispered against her skin. "I thought I couldn't love you any more than I did then." Reaching down, he positioned his cock at her entrance. "I was wrong," he whispered as he pushed forward.

Jess made a strangled noise and tilted her hips, encouraging him to go as deep as he could as he filled her. Krycek returned her sob with one of his own and held still, savoring the feeling of her surrounding him. Jess also was motionless, wanting this moment to stretch through eternity. But eventually, she clenched her muscles sheathing him, encouraging him to start moving.

Krycek really didn't need to be encouraged. Starting slowly, he began to thrust, but quickly lost control as Jess ran her nails up and down his back. He groaned and Jess answered with one of her own. Sensing he was close to coming, Krycek reached down and stroked her clitoris repeatedly, amazed he could differentiate between her wetness and the water.

That was all it took. "Alex!" Jess shouted and convulsed, splashing violently. Krycek's thrusts became more frantic as Jess writhed beneath him, sloshing even more water over the sides of the tub. And then with a final grunt, he felt his seed shooting deep inside of her.

They held each other close, exhausted and sated. Eventually, they were shivering as what was left of the water chilled to room temperature. Krycek lifted his head. "That settles it," he said, sitting up. "We need more room to do this right. We're getting a large whirlpool tub."

Jess laughed. "I think we did well considering the cramped quarters." She sat up and surveyed the puddles of water and foam that had pooled on the floor. "Who's going to clean this up?" she asked with a sigh.

Krycek grinned at the despondence in her voice. But her rapid mood swings were worrying him. "Let's just throw some towels down," he said, nuzzling her neck. "But first let's get out and dry off."

As Jess slowly gathered her legs under herself and gingerly stepped out of the bathtub, Krycek admired her tight backside and trim legs. He stood up and also stepped out of the tub, but not as cautiously as Jess. Krycek slipped and fell on his ass. "Ouch!"

Hearing the thud, Jess turned. She smiled slightly and offered him a hand. Krycek took it and braced himself against her weight and pulled upright. Krycek didn't let go of her hand. Instead, he pulled her against his body and wrapped an arm around her waist. Jess leaned her head against his chest. Krycek rocked her back and forth. "I used the CD ROM," he whispered into her hair. "We can't handle this alone anymore."

Jess nodded. "You're right. We need help. I just hope..."

He lifted his fingers to her lips. "So do I, Jess." He still rocked back and forth. "I think we should keep the sex part of the offer from Lindy. She has a hard enough time understanding us and Walter as it is. Us sleeping with Walter, but refusing to sleep with Cancerman would probably confuse the hell out of her."

Jess regarded him with a half smile. "Alex, *I* have a hard enough time understanding us and Walter."

Krycek grinned back. "Do I hear some guilt creeping into your voice?" he asked, grabbing a towel.

"Just the 'nice girl' in me horrified at what I've become." Jess also grabbed a towel and wiped herself dry. She dropped the towel onto one of the larger puddles. "This isn't exactly how I figured my sex life would be."

"Jess, with all I've done, I didn't think I would have *a* life, let alone a sex life with two wonderful lovers." He also wiped himself off and dropped the towel onto another puddle. "I just wish I could offer you a normal life. You know, marriage, kids, a home without bugging devices."

"Alex, we've talked about this." Jess put her hands on his shoulders. "With what we are, I think a 'normal' life is out of the question," Jess laughed. "I've never expected it from you. I don't care if we never get married, as long as we're together."

Krycek took both her hands in his. "Jess, I promise you that someday, somehow, we will have a normal life without the Consortium hanging over us." He looked into her brown eyes and saw the love shining in his green ones reflected there. "I will marry you."

An impish looked appeared in Jess's eyes. "And what about Walter?"

Krycek shrugged his shoulder. "We'll figure out something when we jump off that bridge."

Jess smiled. She leaned forward and kissed him with an open mouth. Krycek moaned and pulled her tight against his body. Jess began a sensual exploration of his mouth with her tongue. Krycek whimpered and started to tremble.

Jess broke the kiss and pulled back to look at him. "Alex, I know we're not going to get married anytime soon, but would you like to start practicing for the honeymoon?"

Krycek nodded and pulled her to their bed, grinning. "Practice makes perfect, don't you think?"

* * * * * * *

Cancerman was ready to deliver his report. "There have been several unauthorized accesses to the computer files on the Loup Garou section of the Project."

Well Manicured Man's eyes narrowed. "Have you been able to determine who has been doing this?"

Cancerman shook his head. "The exact identity of the hacker is unknown, but the records indicate that access began shortly before Leahs and Krycek killed Covarrubias."

"But you have your suspicions?" Well Manicured Man prodded.

Cancerman couldn't keep some satisfaction out of his voice. "Yes."

Well Manicured Man didn't like the sound of that. He still wanted to woo his niece into working for the Consortium. If she were causing problems, she may have to be dealt with. "Do you think that my niece has something to do with it?"

Again Cancerman shook his head. "Although they have considerable computer knowledge, neither Leahs nor Krycek have the level of expertise it requires to have breached the security measures in place. One of the records compromised was the location where their whelp is being reared. Neither of them have shown any signs of this knowledge, let alone mounted a reclamation attempt. If they are directing a third party, the information has not been given to them." Now was time to air his suspicions. "Also, I feel that we are dealing with an internal matter."

Well Manicured Man sounded relieved. "So you believe the intruder is working on from inside?"

"Krychekov has started to take an interest in that section of the Project." He paused to light up a cigarette. "He has specifically asked for a werewolf bodyguard."

Well Manicured Man nodded pensively. If Krychekov was involved, there would be a good chance that soon Krychekov's son and his niece would be. "I see no reason we can't comply with his request," he finally said.

* * * * * * *

Krycek sat on the living room couch, trying to watch the TV. Nothing he saw was holding his interest. And the house was quiet since Lindy was in school and Jess out shopping with Scully. He clicked off the television, having decided to just sit and enjoy the silence.

A knock on the door made him jump. Krycek got up and looked through the spyhole. "Hello, Mulder," Krycek said after cracking it open. <He should know that Jess is out with Scully,> he thought, since Mulder usually came to see Jess and him together. "Jess isn't here."

"I didn't come here to talk to Jess," Mulder said. "I came here to talk to you."

Krycek nodded and opened the door wider. Mulder walked in. "Like what you've done to the place," Mulder said, looking at the upholstered couch, the free standing lamps, and the oak bookcase.

Krycek grunted an acknowledgement. "Can I get you anything? Beer?"

Mulder nodded. Krycek went into the kitchen and returned with two longnecks. He handed one to Mulder who was now sitting on the couch.

Before he twisted off the cap, Mulder looked at the label. "Red Wolf Beer?"

"What did you expect us to drink? Coors Lite?" Both men smiled at the joke. Krycek uncapped his bottle and took a long swig. Mulder did the same. They sat in an uncomfortable silence that Krycek finally broke. "What do you want to talk about, Mulder?"

Mulder leaned forward. "You know I've forgiven Jess and you for withholding the truth about Cancerman being my father. In fact, I've almost forgiven you for everything. But there is something you and I have to discuss."

Krycek had a good idea what would come next. "What do you want to talk about, Mulder?"

Mulder's words were without emotion. "I want to talk about the night my father died."

Krycek sighed and looked at the bottle he held in his lap. "I had fucked up big time by blowing my cover with you," he slowly began. "Cancerman told me I could regain my good standing by another assignment, an assassination. He didn't tell me who it was though. I figured it was one of your informants. And at that point, I was desperate to get back into the Consortium's good graces, so I accepted."

"Cardinal drove me to the house. I had no idea who lived there, until that son of a bitch smoker told me afterwards. I broke into the bathroom and waited. And waited. And waited. I was in there a good two hours before your father came in. The rest you know. Except for the part that Cancerman decided that I was no longer useful, and almost killed me by car bomb. I decided to buy my life with the digital tape. I also decided that the further away I could get, the better." He stared straight ahead, not willing to look at Mulder. "And I've been punished in some way every day since."

Both remained silent, Krycek waiting for Mulder to say something, Mulder trying to sort out his feeling. Only when the phone rang did either of them make a move. Krycek reached over and punched the speaker phone. "Hello?"

Both started when they heard the Cigarette Smoking Man's voice on the other end of the line. "Mr. Krycek, I'm glad I reached you."

Mulder leaned forward to say something. Krycek made a motion for Mulder to be silent. He reached for the tape recorder next to the phone and hit the record button. "What the hell do you want?" he growled.

Cancerman's voice didn't waver one bit. "I spoke with your lover a little while ago. She rejected a rather generous offer of mine."

"Sorry," Krycek snarled. "But Jess and I don't find her having to fuck you generous, you tar lunged son of a bitch."

Mulder's jaw dropped. He knew that Jess and Krycek were being taunted, but had no idea that the Cigarette Smoking Man had made such a low blow. He knew that Jess was still trying to reconcile in her mind the fact that she was sleeping with two men, and this had to be a painful reminder of what others would think her if it became common knowledge - a whore willing to accommodate anyone who could make it worth her while.

Mulder was so wrapped up in that revelation that he almost missed Cancerman's response. "Mr. Krycek, I would watch your language, or I might withdraw my offer to you before I make it."

Krycek paled, but kept a hold of his anger. "You aren't asking me to take her place?"

"To let me fuck you? You are cute, but I don't go that way," Cancerman chuckled. "I was going to offer you a job. In return, I can give you visitation rights to your daughter."

Krycek stiffened. He looked at Mulder from under raised eyebrows. "And what would that job be?" he asked, although both men had a good idea of what the Smoker's next words would be.

Mulder and Krycek were staring each other in the eyes when Cancerman spilled the details. "You have somewhat regained Agent Mulder's trust. All I want you to do is report to me anything he tells you about his cases, for now. In return, depending on the quality and quantity of the information, you get to spend an hour to half a day with Amanda."

Krycek didn't think about it for a moment. "No deal, bastard," he snarled.

There was a moment's pause. Mulder could almost see Cancerman lighting up another cigarette. "The offer still stands, Mr. Krycek. But it is not indefinite." There was the abrupt sound of the dial tone.

Krycek sighed and hit the stop button on the recorder. He also shut off the speaker phone. "Another one to add to the collection," he muttered as he ejected the tape and wrote the time and date on it.

Mulder raised his eyebrows. "Collection?"

Krycek nodded. "He calls about once a week with some offer. Most of the times it involves Amanda, sometimes not. We decided to tape them to see if we could discover a pattern. There's a shoe box full of these under our bed."

"How long has this been going on?" Mulder asked, leaning forward.

Krycek sighed and looked at the ceiling, calculating. "On and off, since Farnsworth tried to kill me, and Cancerman brought that alien in to heal me. But it's been a lot more frequent after Jess was returned."

"Alex," Mulder asked. "Why didn't you tell me and Dana about this a long time ago?"

Krycek shook his head, a self-depreciating smile on his face. "If I told you about these calls, would you have believed that they weren't a set up, that I wasn't trying to trick you into trusting me?"

Mulder nodded. Anytime before Jess's disappearance, he would have believed it was a set up. But he had seen how desperate Krycek had been to find her and was reminded of himself when Scully had been taken. And as driven as he was to find his sister Samantha, Krycek must be even more driven to find his daughter. Somewhere along the line, the impossible, or at least what he once thought was impossible, happened. He began to trust Krycek once again. "But I don't think you're trying to trick me now, Alex."

Krycek nodded. He had noticed that Mulder was starting to call him Alex again. Maybe Mulder did actually believe him. "You don't know what a comfort that is." He looked thoughtfully into the distance. "Jess and I," he said with a sigh, "we can't continue like this much longer, Mulder."

Mulder looked at Krycek, concerned. He noticed for the first time the dark circles under his eyes. The young man, who wasn't that heavyset to begin with, had lost more than sleep. There was a haunted look in his eyes, one that he had seen many times before in the mirror. <He's right. They can't go on like this much longer.>

* * * * * * *

Jess and Scully had gone out to do some female bonding. They had gone shopping and spent time talking about trivial things. Now that they were sitting in the restaurant, there were serious things to discuss.

"Jess," Scully began hesitantly. "Fox told me about you, Krycek, and Skinner."

Jess stared at Scully, her brown eyes wide. "How much did he tell you?"

"Everything."

Jess sighed and toyed with her salad. "Believe me, when I first agreed to it, I had no idea it would turn out like this."

"But Jess, why did you agree to it?" Scully asked.

Jess put her fork down. "The original terms were that I couldn't know about it ahead of time. But I stumbled across Alex and Walter accidentally. At that point, we were desperate for information about Amanda. It's a desperation I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy," she finished quietly.

Scully shook her head. "Jess, I still don't understand..."

"I don't mean to sound catty, but until you have a child of your own, you really *can't* understand." Jess paused for a moment, as if coming to a decision. "Dana, there is another reason I had to become involved. I'll tell you, but you can't tell Mulder. At least, not yet."

Scully stiffened. "Jess, I won't keep secrets, especially one that...."

"It's not one that will hurt Mulder, or betray him or you. It's something that Alex wants me to keep quiet until he feels more comfortable about talking about what happened to him." Jess sighed and looked down. "Lindy and I aren't the only ones who have experienced rape."

Scully's jaw dropped. "Alex was raped?"

Jess nodded soberly. "By Alpha Wolf, the bastard." She sighed deeply. "Cancerman knew about it, of course, and decided to use it. If he wanted the info on Amanda, he had to sleep with Walter. When I found out, I couldn't let him face it alone. And then things just kinda developed from there."

"I think I see," Scully said.

Jess stared at the tablecloth. "Listen, I know that you think I'm a slut for doing it. And I don't blame you. But I hope it won't affect our friendship beyond repair."

Scully shook her head. "No I don't think that at all." In her cases in the FBI, she had seen many twisted acts committed in the name of love. And if she didn't know Jess so well, she would have lumped Jess right into that group. But the more she thought about it, the less Jess seemed to fit that assumption. With her history of sexual abuse and how devoted she was to Krycek, her actions, while not seeming logical, seemed fitting for her and the situation. "I think that you did what you thought was right. I don't think it will affect our friendship."

Jess smiled, clearly relieved. "Thanks, Dana. I need all the friends I can get."

* * * * * * *

Cancerman hung up the phone with a grimly satisfied smile. He hadn't really expected Krycek to take him up on his offer of a job, no more than he had thought Jess would agree to sleep with him. If they had agreed it would have been a pleasant, but unexpected, bonus. If they did not, the constant offers and uncertainty about their daughter would wear down their resistance and make them easier to manipulate.

Picking up a pen, he prepared to start scratching notes on the legal pad in front of him. He reached over and flipped a switch to the on position. Krycek's voice filled the air, relayed in real time via one of the many bugs planted in the Krycek home. "Jess and I," he said with a sigh, "we can't continue like this much longer, Mulder."

Cancerman raised an eyebrow. <Agent Mulder was in the room?> Even better. Now his former henchman was being reminded of his disloyalty in front of the man he betrayed. The lower Krycek felt, the more easily he could be persuaded to work for Cancerman once again.

He heard Mulder answer Krycek. "I know it's difficult, Alex." Cancerman blinked at Mulder's use of Krycek's first name. He knew that Mulder's attitude towards Krycek had changed, but wasn't aware that the FBI agent was that trusting. "But hang in there. I'm not saying it gets easier, but you learn to live with the ache, eventually." There was a pause. "How much does Lindy know about this?"

Krycek sighed again. "She knows that Cancerman approached us about working for him. She doesn't know about the request for sexual favors."

Cancerman smiled to himself as he made a note of that comment. <So Leahs and Krycek are hiding things from the girl. That presents many interesting possibilities.> Although he would never touch the thirteen year old in a sexual way, here was a golden opportunity to test how devoted Lindy was to Jess.

There was a firm but quiet knock on the door. He checked the clock on the wall and turned the switch to the off position. The whole conversation was being recorded, so he wouldn't miss any information because of his appointment. Cancerman opened his office door to a young, long haired brunette. "You wished to see me, master?"

"Come in and sit down," he told the human looking female. "I have an assignment for you..."

* * * * * * *

After talking to Krycek, Mulder decided to call on the Lone Gunmen and check their progress. "So what have you been able to find out?"

"Surprisingly enough, a lot," Beyers said. "One of the printouts included in that file had the address for an computer network. We were able to break into the system."

"You're not the only one interested in this kid," Frohike said. "Our hacker discovered another hacker's entry point, so he put a transparent patch on it. It made his job much easier. Whenever our mystery hacker logged on, we got duplicates of his keystrokes and whatever data he discovered. Plus our guy could sign on, but it only looked like only one person was breaching security."

Langley raised his eyebrows. "We're puzzled why you're taking such an interest in her, Mulder. The tests show she's not your's or Scully's."

Mulder paled. Was Jess's secret out? "You guys ran genetic tests?"

"No. But neither Scully or you are the right blood type for this child to be yours," Beyers said calmly. "We're curious."

Mulder got up to leave. "She's a friend's. Do you remember Jessica Leahs?"

"Oh yeah, I do remember the lovely Miss Leahs," Frohike sighed. He turned back to Langley and Beyers. "Sexy short haired brunette who said she'd never sleep with me because she'd be afraid of contracting mange.."

The pair nodded. It was hard to forget Jess after hearing some of her more outrageous, humor laced insults, especially the ones she made to people she really liked. Several years ago when Jess had been visiting Mulder, seeking help getting legal papers for Lindy, she had been introduced to Lone Gunmen. Jess and Frohike had hit it off nicely, him 'hitting' on her all night, she humorously 'repulsing' him. "Didn't we help her get a birth certificate and adoption papers for her girl?" Langley said. As Mulder nodded, he remembered something more. "And isn't she sleeping with Krycek?"

Mulder nodded again. "Ummm hmmm."

Langley gestured at the picture, stating the obvious conclusion. "Then this is their kid?"

"Yup. Jess was abducted while pregnant, and found after she delivered. They have no idea where their girl is."

Beyers gave a low whistle. "Then that explains it."

Mulder tilted his head. "Explains what?"

"Our hacker had to pull out after a day. He detected a second patch into the system, one placed there by the file's owners," Frohike said. "The files are still accessible, but now anyone who hacks in will be tripping alarms left and right. Our guy managed to get out without being detected, but it was close."

"So whoever is maintaining the files knows that his security has been breached."

"Yes," Langley responded. "But the gateway is wide open. It's after you log on and connect that your ass is grass. The file owner wants the original hacker's identity trapped neatly as quickly as possible."

* * * * * * *

"I can't wait until we get into high school," Mary announced.

Lindy looked at her friend as she fiddled with her locker. "But we're top dogs here in junior high. When we get into high school, well be the bottom rung of the ladder again.

"But we'll high schoolers, not kids anymore," Mary explained. She picked up her backpack. "I can't wait until I get my driver's license."

"You can't wait for a lot of things," Lindy laughed. She opened her locker and paused, surprised by at the sight of an audio tape laying on top of her books, next to the walkman she listened to as she walked home.

Mary's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "Are you coming Lindy?"

"No, I forgot something in Miss Heinrichsen's class," Lindy lied. "Go on. I'll see you Monday."

Mary rolled her eyes. Lindy was her good friend, but she could get into these moods sometimes. "Okay. Give me a call sometime this weekend. Bye, Lindy." Mary turned and walked away.

"See ya, Mary." After she was sure that Mary was out of sight, Lindy picked up the tape, examining it carefully. There was nothing written on the label to indicate it had been recorded on, but the notch that allowed you to erase it was gone. Curious, she popped it in her walkman and pressed play. She was surprised to hear Jess's voice. "We got another offer?"

"Yeah," Krycek said. "The usual - 'spy on Mulder and you can see Amanda'. And Mulder knows about them now. He was here when I got the call."

Jess's voice sounded tired. "Alex, maybe I should take him up on his latest offer to me. Mulder would still trust you and it would only be my body..."

"No!" was the shouted response. Krycek continued after a moment's pause and a deep sigh. "The only reason he offered it was to torment you. If you said you'd sleep with him, he'd probably change the terms to something worse. And then renege on his end of the deal once you had gone through with it."

"But there is a chance..." Jess sounded truly desperate.

There was the sound of someone walking across a wooden floor. "But I don't want you to take that chance..."

The tape snapped off at that point. Lindy was stunned. She knew that overtures had been made, offers of safety, money, and parenthood if Jess, she and Krycek worked for the Cancerman. But this reminded her of the twisted games *he* would play with her. Her molester didn't only screw her body, he screwed with her mind. <Maybe,> Lindy thought, <since Jess and Alex don't want to play, Cancerman will accept a substitute...>.

* * * * * * *

Krychekov sat in his office in the Russian Embassy, looking over the latest paperwork. It was unrelated to his search for his granddaughter, but that was what his thoughts kept returning to. He was still debating exactly what to do with the information he had acquired.

His aide opened the door a crack. "Sir, your new bodyguard has arrived."

Krychekov put his paperwork into a file. "Show him in," he said as he put the file into a drawer and locked it.

The aide nervously pushed the door open wider and gestured. Krychekov blinked in surprise. A tall, *female* stepped into the room behind the aide. She looked as human as Krychekov, from her light brown shoulder length hair and eyes to her well proportioned body. She was attractive to humans, and probably to werewolves as well. "Mr. Krychekov," she said, offering her hand.

Krychekov shook it, but kept eye contact until the werewolf dropped her gaze, as he had been instructed. He had to establish dominance from minute one. "What am I to call you?"

The werewolf bobbed her head differentially. "I no longer have a human name, sir. At the labs, everyone called me Warg."

<An ugly name for a beautiful woman,> Krychekov idly thought. The word was vaguely familiar. Krychekov couldn't help but feel a shudder, which he did not show in the least. "Very well, Warg. My aide will show you your quarters. You will assume your duties tomorrow. Is there anything you require?"

Warg stopped to think a moment. "No, nothing at this time, sir." She followed Krychekov's aide, clearly ill at ease besides the lycanthrope, out of the office.

His new bodyguard's name teased at the corner of Krychekov's mind. He looked in two English dictionaries and an encyclopedia to no avail. Finally he found the reference in a guide to literary characters.

"Warg - the evil race of wolves under the command of Sauron in J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy."

* * * * * * *

<Almost there,> Skinner thought to himself as his sedan turned the last corner. He had gotten back from an out of town conference earlier in the morning. He came home to his apartment in Crystal City and unpacked. And he proceeded to drive himself crazy pacing the apartment.

It eventually dawned on Skinner what his problem was when he tried to go to sleep. He was lonely and the bed seemed empty. It had been two weeks since he had seen Jess or Krycek. They had talked on the phone while on the trip, and when he returned home, but it wasn't the same. Unlike Sharon, Jess and Krycek both accepted him where he was. Neither pushed to know what he was feeling or reveal anything more than he was willing to say, to be something he wasn't. That trust and acceptance was a comfort he wasn't used to feeling. Tonight he wasn't particularly seeking sex from them, just companionship.

Skinner pulled up to the house just in time to see Lindy sneaking out of her upper story window and start to climb down the trellis. <Where the hell is she going at ten at night?> He jumped out of the car and walked to a few feet from where she would touch down.

Lindy didn't look down but concentrated on finding her next handhold and foothold by feel. She worked her way down cautiously, but swiftly. After two minutes, she stepped to the ground. Lindy looked up and smiled, certain that no one inside the house had discovered her escape. Then she turned around and her face fell. "Bust-ted," she said, looking up at Skinner standing there with his arms crossed.

"Correct." He looked at Lindy, shocked. The young teen was dressed in black bicycle shorts and a tight black tank top, revealing a body that was developing a woman's curves. She was allowed to wear some makeup - foundation, lip gloss, and occasionally a neutral eyeshadow, but nothing like what she had plastered on. She had used Jess's blush and mascara freely. Also, she had gotten a hold of ice blue eyeshadow and liner and fire engine red lipstick. Her hair was ratted out skillfully, giving it an artfully careless tousled look. Skinner was reminded of a cheap street corner hooker. "What are you doing out here?"

"I... um.... Well, you see...," Lindy stalled, trying to come up with an excuse. She obviously hadn't considered the possibility that she would be caught.

Skinner folded his arms across his chest. "Actually, let's wait until we're inside so you only have to explain once."

Lindy hung her head. She had heard Skinner's tone of voice enough times from Jess to know what it meant. She turned around and marched up the stairs, Skinner close behind her, pulling out his keys. When he opened the door to the empty living room, he yelled out. "Hello?"

Skinner heard Krycek call out a greeting. "Hey, Walter! We're in the kitchen."

Lindy looked up at Skinner hopefully. Jess and Krycek obviously hadn't missed her yet. Maybe she could convince Skinner to let her sneak back up stairs if she promised not to leave the house tonight?

No such luck. "Come on," Skinner said to Lindy, gesturing towards the kitchen door. They both walked into the room to see Krycek and Jess sitting at a table stacked with bills, a checkbook, and a calculator.

"Walter? Who are you talking to?" Jess said, punching numbers into the calculator. She glanced up and did a double take. "*Lindy*?!?!?!?"

Krycek looked up when he heard the surprise and shock in Jess's voice. "What the hell?!?" he exclaimed.

"I caught her sneaking outside," Skinner said gruffly. "And I think she was just about to explain where she was going."

"I was going out," Lindy said with a stubborn set of her jaw. She didn't want to say what she was up to.

"Not like *that* you are, Alinda Ann Leahs," Jess snarled, invoking Lindy's full name as only a mother when truly pissed off can. She broke eye contact to check the clock. "And not at 10:13 at night."

"Now, where were you going?" Krycek asked. "And who were you going to meet?"

Lindy sighed and looked down at her lap. "I found a tape in my backpack today," she began. "It was a recording of you two talking about Cancerman's offers to both of you."

Jess's and Krycek's eyes widened and their jaws dropped. "You were going to give Cancerman a choice?" Krycek whispered, stunned.

Skinner looked confused when Lindy nodded. "Cancerman's offers? Going to give him a choice? What are you talking about?"

Jess had stood up and went to Lindy. "We'll explain later, Walter." She put her arms around the girl. "Lindy," she said, looking into the girl's blue eyes. "I won't let one of my daughters, no matter how willing, sacrifice herself for the other." She leaned her cheek against Lindy's head. "Let's go upstairs and wash this stuff off your face and get you back in bed." She looked back at Krycek. "You'll explain?"

Krycek nodded. Jess and Lindy stood. "I'll be back down in a while," Jess said. Skinner sat down in the chair she vacated. He could vaguely hear Jess talking to Lindy, her voice trailing off as they walked into the living room. "First of all, you're coloring is so different from mine that my blush doesn't look good..."

Skinner turned to Krycek. He was surprised to see how tired his lover looked. <Dog tired,> Skinner thought, repressing a slight snicker. It worried him that it was the same tired look that Jess had. "What was that about?" And looking at a very weary Krycek, he suddenly realized what probably happened, and cursed himself for not catching on sooner. "What did he offer and when did he do it?"

Krycek sighed. "The most recent one was yesterday when Jess was at the grocery store."

"'Most recent?'" Skinner repeated, stunned. "I think you'd better tell me the whole story."

* * * * * * *

The young man sat in front of the terminal, clicking away at the keyboard. Late night was when he preferred to do his hacking, less chance of being interrupted by other computers or people.

He was inside the host computer and working towards the root path that contained the information he was seeking. He checked it often, hoping that more information would appear. Unfortunately, nothing new had been added recently.

He did hear something, the sound of people approaching. He shook his head in disgust. He preferred to do his hacking without people standing over his shoulder. The door to his room opened. "And this is our computer room," Krychekov's aide's voice said.

<What is he doing? Giving a goddamn tour?> Hacker though. He turned around and fell in lust with the brunette woman standing behind the aide. This five foot beauty with light brown, long hair, dark eyes and a lush figure was something out of one his fantasies. Hacker was so intent on mentally undressing the new woman that he missed entirely the aide's introduction. And then the aide prepared to move on, but the woman seemed to be staring at him intently. Hacker stared dumbly back. Then the woman broke into a smile, turned and left the room. But before she did, she glanced back at him suggestively.

Hacker leaned back in the chair, putting his hands behind his head. <Some days you just can't put a foot wrong,> he thought with a grin.

* * * * * * *

Jess sat down on the bed next to her daughter. "Lindy, you know how much I love you."

Lindy had finished cleaning off the makeup and was now in a flannel gown. The girl now looked like the thirteen old she was. "I love you a lot too. That's why I was going to do it."

"I know." Jess bowed her head. "But I would never ask you to sacrifice your integrity or sexuality like that."

Lindy's eyes widened in confusion. "But Alex...?"

"Alex is an adult. He can make his own decisions. But you are a teenager, a very mature one, but not an adult." Jess sighed and shook her head. "As much as I want to find Amanda, I don't want to see you hurt."

Lindy leaned forward to rest against Jess's side. "I could have spied on Mulder easily. And if he chose sex, it probably wouldn't have been any worse than I've had done to me before. I don't think Cancerman could have been any more perverted than *he* was."

Jess put an arm around her. "Lindy, that's not the point. I don't want you to get hurt physically or mentally. And there is an emotional side to sex that you really won't understand until you're older. And you've been hurt so much that way. I don't want to see you hurt anymore."

"I'm sorry, Jess. I promise I won't do either thing," Lindy said, hugging her. "I love you."

"It's okay, Lindy." Jess rested her cheek against the blond head. "I love you too. Now get to sleep, okay."

"Okay." Lindy slid under the covers and rolled onto her side. Patches the cat, who had slipped into the room unnoticed, jumped up on the bed and curled up beside Lindy.

Jess pulled the covers up to her shoulders and placed a kiss on her cheek. She crossed the room to the door and turned off the lights. "Good night, Lindy."

Jess heard a quiet "good night," as she pulled the door shut. She leaned against it and put her head in her hands. <What are we becoming?> Jess thought, tears coming to her eyes.

She heard the sound of someone walking up the stairs. Jess felt strong yet gentle hands encircle her wrists, pulling her hands away from her face. She looked up to see Skinner's brown eyes regarding her seriously. "Why didn't you come to me about this?" he whispered.

"You're in such a precarious position, we didn't want to endanger you any further," Jess said quietly. "Can we finish this conversation elsewhere?" she asked, gesturing with her head behind her.

Skinner nodded. His grip shifted from her wrists to one of her hands and he guided her to the bedroom. "How long has he been making offers?" he asked, rubbing his thumb against her palm.

"Since he had Alex healed after fighting with Jake," Jess said. "The workings of the deals change, except for two basic things. We do him a favor, we get to see Amanda."

Krycek stepped into the room. "Everything's locked up downstairs. I'm assuming you want to spend the night, Walter."

"I really hadn't planned to, but since your offering..." Skinner trailed off.

Jess pulled her hand from Skinner's and dropped down to sit on the bed. "I don't mean to be a downer, but I'm not up to sex tonight. I'm just overloaded."

"That's fine with me," Krycek said. He also sat on the bed and stroked her back.

Skinner nodded. "I'm tired myself. I'm sure we'll make up for it some other time."

Without any further discussion, they got ready for bed. Only when they were under the covers, Jess in the middle, did a thought occur to her. "Should I move to the outside? I mean, in case you two want to..."

Skinner shushed her with a kiss. "Just go to sleep," he whispered, putting an arm across her body to rest on Krycek's hip. Krycek copied the movement, so his hand rested on Skinner's waist. Jess, locked into place between the two men, gave a soft sigh and relaxed. A few seconds after closing her eyes, she was asleep.

* * * * * * *

Even in sleep, Skinner could feel the hair on the back of his neck rising. Waking up, he recognized the sensation. It was the same thing he felt whenever he saw the old woman.

He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes. Skinner was surprised to see Jess standing at the foot of the bed. <But she's right beside me!> he thought, stunned. He could feel Jess's body pressed against his side. He peered closer at the stranger in the white dress. The woman did look amazingly like Jess - same oval face, same nose, and same coloring. Except this stranger had deep sapphire blue eyes and lighter brown hair that fell to her waist. She was staring at Jess intently, sorrow, pity, and love all mixed in her glance.

Her gaze shifted to Skinner. Her eyes widened, making her thought clear - <Oh *shit*! He wasn't supposed to see me.> The woman turned and fled through the door faster than Skinner thought was humanly possible.

Skinner leapt from the bed, startling Jess and Krycek awake. "Wha' goin' on?" Jess sleepily asked, raising up on one arm.

His response made her wake up instantly. "There's an intruder in the house."

But a thorough search revealed nothing. "I don't understand it," Skinner muttered, now downstairs in the kitchen. "I *know* I saw someone standing at the foot of our bed."

"We've searched this house basement to attic," Krycek said. "If anyone had been here, we would have scented them a long time ago."

Jess was at the stove, heating water for hot chocolate for her and Lindy. "Why don't you describe this person?"

Skinner nodded his head. "The odd thing was that she looked like you, Jess."

"But with long hair and blue eyes," Jess, Krycek, and Lindy finished together.

Lindy rolled her eyes. "Told ya that we should have told Walter about Rachel," she said with a trace of smugness.

"Told me about who?" The only Rachel that Skinner knew of connected to Jess was her dead sister. He looked from Jess to Krycek "Jess? Alex? What's going on?"

Jess brought the kettle to the table and sat it on a metal trivet. She sat down and sighed. "How to put this," she murmured, tapping her forefinger against the table.

Skinner raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me the house is haunted?"

Krycek bit his lower lip. "Not exactly. I guess you could call her a guardian spirit."

"Rachel tends to appear in my life at times of severe stress," Jess said with a shrug of her shoulders. "She's never harmed anyone. She just... I don't think I can explain," she said shaking her head.

Skinner nodded his head. Jess's inability to explain Rachel's presence in her life was like him trying to explain bond between him and the old woman. You consciously couldn't ever express what it was, but you knew and understood it on some level. "Would you believe that I understand what you mean perfectly?"

* * * * * * *

Jess woke up at six am, awake and edgy almost instantly. Wedged back to back with Krycek and belly to belly with Skinner, she shifted restlessly trying to find a comfortable position. She rolled over cautiously, uncertain why she was uneasy. There was something other than Lindy's revelation and Skinner's sighting of Rachel last night troubling her. She raised her head and her eyes rested on the calendar hanging on the wall. And then the reason became clear to her. <I'm two days late,> she thought. Then she remembered the last time she missed a period. <No!> she thought, shaking her head. <I *can't* be pregnant. Dana said it was impossible.>

She cautiously started to inch her way around one of the sleeping bodies next to her, not wanting either one to wake up. The springs squeaked under her. Krycek sighed and flopped onto his stomach. ~What's wrong Jess? Cramps?~

Jess bit her lower lip. ~No. I'm not cramping. And that's got me worried. Let me out.~

Still half asleep, Krycek rolled over and sat up. Jess swung her legs behind him and got out of bed. <Worried about *not* cramping?> he puzzled. He didn't comprehend what she was talking about until she was half way to the bathroom. ~Jess, you don't think you're...~

~I'm not sure.~ Jess turned back to look at him. ~And if I am, we've got some serious decisions ahead of us. I've got a test on hand and I'm going to take it.~

Krycek sighed and flopped back down. <If she is pregnant, who is the father, me or Walter? And what will the Consortium do?> He didn't think he would survive if Jess went missing again. Five minutes passed, while Krycek squirmed, not certain if he should go to Jess, or wait until she came back.

Skinner felt the bed shifting under him and heard the spring let out another serenade. "For stealthy predators, you two sure make a lot of noise," he grumbled.

Krycek sat back up. "Walter, wake up. We've got a problem. Jess thinks she might be pregnant."

Skinner sat up as if he relieved an electrical shock. "She's what?!? I thought you said..."

Jess walked out of the bathroom, her emotions flickering between relief and disappointment. She was carrying a decidedly white pregnancy test stick. "False alarm. My cycle's probably off because of the stress." Tossing the test into the waste bin, she sat on the edge of the bed beside Krycek. "Sorry."

Skinner reached and tugged her shoulder until Jess lay down across their legs, her head in Skinner's lap. Skinner started stroking her hair and shoulders. "You're forgiven." He sighed in relief. "We haven't talked about the possibility..."

"We didn't think it *was* a possibility," Krycek interrupted. "We were told that Jess would not be able to have anymore children."

"If I did get pregnant, and it was yours, Walter," Jess said slowly, "I wouldn't force you to be any more involved than you want to be. Or you either, Alex."

Krycek rested one hand on her hip and leaned against Skinner. "If that situation did come up, I would be willing to raise the kid as my own if you wanted nothing to do with us, Walter."

Skinner continued stroking Jess. "I honestly can't say what I'd do. Sharon never wanted children, and I never really thought about it."

Jess nodded. "I don't think it's something we're going to have to worry about." She levered herself up on one arm to look at Krycek and Skinner. "And I don't know whether to feel happy or sad about that."

Skinner leaned forward and kissed Jess on the lips. Krycek also leaned forward and first kissed Jess's ear, and then Skinner's. The two men urged Jess flat on her back on the bed. Jess grinned. "Isn't this what led us to thinking I was pregnant?"

All three of them laughed. Skinner had an idea earlier and had discussed it with Krycek. Now would be the perfect time to implement it. He raised and eyebrow at the young man, who nodded. "Jess, you trust us, don't you?"

"Of course," was Jess's response. She was not sure why Skinner was asking.

"Walter and I have been talking," Krycek said as he started to unbutton her sleep shirt. "We think you have been too stressed lately." He pulled the cloth away from her body.

Skinner, meanwhile, had reached over to pull open the drawer of the bed side table. He pulled something out of the drawer and hid it behind his back. "We got to thinking that you need some time to be pampered. And we want to make sure you don't try to reciprocate, this time."

Jess grinned as Krycek took hold of her hands. "And how do you intend to do that?" she asked as Krycek bent to kiss her neck.

Krycek sucked at her skin. "Ve haff our vays," he growled in a horrible German accent and lifted her hands over her head.

Jess closed her eyes and sighed as Krycek began to nibble on her earlobe. But her eyes flew wide open when she heard a metallic click. Tilting her head back, she squinted until she saw that both wrists were securely cuffed to the spindled headboard.

"Jess?" She turned back to Skinner at the sound of his voice. His worried face hovered near hers. "Are you okay with this? All you have to do is say no."

Jess closed her eyes again and swallowed. Jake had never tied her up when they had sex, preferring to beat her into submission when he was in one of his more violent moods. When they were dating, she and Mulder hadn't quite gotten to the stage where they felt comfortable to explore their fantasies. She and Alex had experimented some, but with her in charge. And as she searched her soul, Jess realized that she had trusted both these men with her most highly guarded secret, her lycanthropy. So why shouldn't she trust these men with her body?

Taking her silence as consent, Skinner slid a large warm hand from her cheek down her neck and to her right breast. ""Yes," she whispered as he slowly moved his hand in a circle. His hand withdrew to be replaced by his lips. "Oh god, yes."

Krycek kissed his way down to Jess's left breast. Sucking her nipple into his mouth, Krycek slid a hand along the inside of her thighs, encouraging her to spread her legs. Jess drew a sharp breath, arching, offering. Leaving her breast, he crawled his way down her body, kissing every inch of flesh he could reach as he went. Krycek now rested with his head between Jess's legs, his ass in the air. He kissed her inside thigh, smiling when she quivered at the feel of his warm lips and tongue. He repeated the kiss, and was rewarded with a quiet whimper.

Skinner lifted his head from her breast to grin at Krycek. "Maybe we should gag her too."

Krycek grinned back. "I like the noises she makes."

Jess shivered, listening to her two lovers debate their plans for her. She pulled against the cuffs, a reminder to herself of how much she trusted Skinner and Krycek to allow them complete control of the situation.

Hearing the rattle, Skinner traveled back up to her ear. "Is this too much for you to handle?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

Jess took a deep breath. "No, I'm okay. I'm just impatient."

She felt Krycek's breath tickle her thigh, making her squirm. "Patience is a virtue, Jess. One you seem to lack when in bed."

Skinner moved to pay some attention to Krycek now. "You aren't that patient yourself, boy," he said and then ran his tongue down Krycek's spine. Reaching into the drawer again, Skinner retrieved the bottle of Astroglide and prepared Krycek with two well slicked fingers. He reared up behind Krycek, holding his hips firmly. When Skinner felt the young man push backwards against him and heard his whimper of longing, he buried himself in Krycek's hot flesh with a series of maddeningly slow strokes. And with every slight push Skinner made, Jess felt Krycek's lips brush her clitoris.

Skinner bent low over Krycek's back and reached for the younger man's straining penis. Each gentle stroke was accompanied by a thrust of Skinner's hips, and a lick on Jess's clitoris. Then Krycek began to suck Jess in time to Skinner's thrusts making the young woman writhe.

Jess came quickly, peaking earlier than usual because of the stress and uncertainty and relief she was experiencing, not to mention the mind bending stimulation. When she felt Krycek's wet warmth retreat, she opened her eyes. Skinner had lifted Krycek to his knees and was turning the young man's head so he could kiss and taste his lover. <Taste both his lovers,> Jess thought, realizing that Skinner was licking her juices off of Krycek's face. A low purr escaped her throat

At the sound, Skinner looked down at Jess. She was still panting and watching him with dilated eyes and parted lips. Looking at her red, ripe mouth gave him an idea. His lips moved to Krycek's ear. "Wanna come in her mouth?"

Krycek groaned and nodded. Jess also nodded. "Get rid of the cuffs," she whispered. Krycek fumbled for the key on the bedside table and clumsily released Jess, hampered by the thrusts Skinner was still making.

Tossing the cuffs to one side, Jess sat up and gathered her legs under her. She watched Skinner and Krycek writhe together, enchanted by the sight. Skinner had pulled Krycek's back against his chest and his hands were roaming over his lover's torso. Deftly avoiding Skinner's roving hands , she ran a finger up Krycek's chest and neck to his mouth. ~Suck,~ she mindspoke quietly.

Krycek did, taking a guess at what Jess had planned next, although uncertain how she would be able to fit her finger in his ass with Skinner's cock already filling him. He played his tongue over her finger, imitating the way she had pleasured him so many times before. The feeling of being impaled by Skinner while being probed by Jess was quickly becoming overwhelming.

Once her finger was dripping wet, Jess slid her finger out of Krycek's mouth slowly. Krycek's tongue followed, trying to prolong the connection. Jess smiled and captured his tongue briefly in her mouth before kissing down his torso. His nipples were lightly caressed by her tongue before it started to stroke down to his navel. Crouching in front of Krycek, she placed her lips on the tip of Krycek's cock, allowing Skinner to push him inside.

Skinner moaned. Krycek was unconsciously clenching his ass, not the full throbbing of an orgasm, but extremely pleasurable none the less. And then he felt Jess's hand reaching around to fondle his asscheek, and a slick finger begin to probe for his asshole.

Skinner threw his head back and gasped in surprise. Jess was gently and skillfully working her finger into his ass in time with his thrusts. And she must have been doing something with her mouth, because the exact moment she stroked Skinner's prostate, Krycek gave a yelp and began to come, his ass spasming around Skinner's cock.

That was too much for Skinner. He gave a cry and flopped against a none too steady Krycek, feeling himself spill into the young man in front of him. He could feel Krycek's shoulder tremble under his cheek. He also felt Jess withdraw her finger.

Jess lazily let Krycek's cock slide from between her lips. She slid her hand up Skinner's back as she sat up. After putting both arms around the two men, she lay back down, pulling Krycek and Skinner on top of her. "Neither of you had a stroke, did you?" she asked, a bit breathless.

"Noooo," answered Krycek, more of a moan than a response.

"Came the closest I ever have," Skinner whispered. "And I thought you weren't supposed to reciprocate." He reached for Jess's forehead to brush back a lock of her short hair.

Jess started lazily stroking Skinner's back. "Was that a complaint?"

Skinner nuzzled Krycek's hair. "No, just an observation." Regretfully, he levered up onto his arms and sat up. "I'd better get going before Lindy wakes up."

"Why should you?" Jess said lazily, reaching for him. "She knows about all of us, it's Saturday and you don't have to go to work. As long as you don't imply that you want her involved with us in bed, she'll be fine."

Krycek turned so he could look at Skinner out of one eye. "Spend the day with us, Walter. Sex with you is wonderful, but you can spend time with us without doing it. We won't complain, much," he added impishly.

The idea of loafing around all day with Jess and Krycek did have appeal. The ever dreaded paperwork was the only thing waiting for him at home. "Okay, you've twisted my arm. I'm staying."

* * * * * * *

When they came downstairs, they found Lindy already dressed and watching TV. "Morning Lindy. What are you doing out of bed before noon on a Saturday?"

Lindy shrugged her shoulders. "You were a bit noisy." Skinner, Krycek, and Jess blushed a bit. Lindy made no other comment about their sexual activities. What they did in the bedroom was none of her business as long as they did not want her in their bed also. "What's for breakfast?"

Jess shrugged. "Um, we've got some pancake mix. I whip up some pancakes in no time."

"Sounds good to me," Krycek said. "I'd better check our email."

Jess and Skinner and Lindy headed to the kitchen to fix breakfast. Krycek smiled to himself as he booted Jess's computer to check their email. Aside from the comment about them being loud, Lindy had shown no unease about the two of them sleeping with Skinner. She had adjusted to Skinner being around almost as quickly as she had adjusted to him.

There was only one message on the system, from a . When he opened it, it quoted the email plea he had sent out earlier. The only response was a time - "9:30 AM EST". Krycek looked at the message in surprise. He had not expected someone to actually respond to his plea for help. It had been a shot in the dark as far as he was concerned.

He checked the clock. It was 9:30 AM. Now curious, ran the mystery program and chose the 'chat' button.

There was a delay of a few seconds. Then words scrolled across the screen. "Mr. Krycek or Ms. Leahs?"

"Krycek," he typed back. "Who are you?" <The answer better not be 'I was David Bowman',> he thought.

Again he waited a few seconds. "That is not important. What is important is that I can help you regain your daughter."

<Here comes the stinger,> he thought. <What does he want me to do? Spy on Mulder or Skinner?> "How? What do you want from us in return?"

"Nothing," was the answer that eventually appeared on the screen. "Just show up at the address in the following email at 6:00 PM. If you feel the need to reciprocate, we can discuss terms at a later date."

Krycek frowned thoughtfully. <What game is he playing?> he wondered. There had to be an ulterior motive, something wanted in return. That was how the Consortium worked. The only logical reason Krycek could come up with was that this was all an elaborate snare to entrap him and Jess. But this looked like too good of a chance to pass up. "We'll be there."

* * * * * * *

Hacker sat tabbing at keys in the computer room. Facilitating the chat between his boss Krychekov and whoever he was so interested in earlier today had been routine. None of his watchdog programs had sounded any intruder alarms. He was still logged on, looking for any extra information he could use to ingratiate himself to his superiors. So intent was on the screen, he jumped when he felt a pair of hands touch his shoulder. He spun the chair around and found himself staring into Warg's face. "I didn't mean to scare you," she whispered softly, licking her perfect red lips. Hacker leered, looking her up and down, noting the skin tight jeans and low cut blouse she was wearing. Her voice was rough with desire. "Since I first saw you, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind." She sensuously ran a hand up and down his chest. "I don't know anyone here very well and I'm so lonely..."

This was his fantasy come to life. Hacker leaned back in the chair as Warg straddled his groin. She settled her delicious weight onto his legs. Hacker pulled her down to his lips to kiss her hungrily. Then his hands slid to her breasts, delighted that she wasn't wearing a bra. He felt Warg's hands go to either side of his head as she kissed him with a feral passion. <I am about to get laid,> he thought as she pulled back to take a breath.

Warg smiled and snapped Hacker's neck like a twig, twisting his chin behind his shoulders. Suddenly businesslike, she shook her head. <All too easy,> she thought. She had scanned his mind the moment she saw him at the computer, correctly guessing he was the one who broke into the system. And that teenage fantasy had not been that much of a challenge to set up and execute. Climbing off the body, she tilted the chair, letting the corpse slide to the floor. <Now down to business.> She turned to the logged on terminal and began retracing the recent keystrokes.

In a few minutes, Warg had the information she required. She knew now for certain that Krychekov was the one who was passing information onto Krycek and Leahs. She also now knew the source inside the labs for Krychekov's information. And most important, she knew what Krychekov was planning and had time to inform her real boss.

Her head spun around. She could hear the sound of someone coming down the hallway. She crouched on the to one side of the door, hidden from view. She changed slightly, allowing her razor sharp claws and fanged muzzle to extend.

The footsteps stopped outside the door. Warg tensed, flexing her claws, reading herself. The door opened. The young aide stepped through the door and froze at the sight of Hacker's corpse splayed on the floor, belly down but staring at the ceiling.

Warg acted quickly, taking advantage of the young man's shock. Two swipes of her paws and a quick bite to the neck was all it took. With a casual disregard for the two bodies, she left the room to keep her appointment with her superior.

* * * * * * *

"I don't get it," Lindy said. "They were just here."

Skinner and Lindy had only been upstairs for a moment - Lindy to find her book, Skinner to find his celphone in his coat upstairs. And during the few minutes they were gone, Jess and Krycek had disappeared.

Skinner frowned and looked outside. "Their car is gone. Where could they be going? They didn't say they had any plans tonight."

Lindy was also frowning thoughtfully. She eyed Jess's laptop. Sitting down in front of it, she powered it up and started tapping keys. "The last program accessed was an internet communications program." She loaded the program.

Skinner came up behind her, looking at the screen. "Should you be doing that?"

Lindy didn't look at him. "Do you want to find out where they went or not?" she growled, a bit irritated.

"I mean, why haven't you tried mindspeaking to them?" Skinner knew the werewolves had a form of ESP, and thought that it could come in useful right now.

"They're out of my range," Lindy said matter of factly, still typing instructions. She found a transcript of Krycek's conversation and the attached email containing the address. "But I know where I can find them." Lindy stood up. "I'm going after them."

Skinner shook his head. Werewolf or not, Lindy would need help. "Not alone you aren't."

* * * * * * *

Krychekov stood outside one of the dormitories of the compound. His identification had gotten him inside no questions asked. He was now waiting for his contact, whom he was meeting in the flesh for the first time.

The main doors to the building swung open. A young woman looked around, scanning the outside. Her eyes rested on the old man. "Mr. Krychekov?"

"Yes," he said in a guarded fashion. The woman, with her long brown hair and blue eyes looked vaguely familiar, but he could not place her.

The young woman nodded. "I am the caretaker for the young ones here. Come with me." She held open the door.

Krychekov stepped over the threshold. "Before we do this, I need to know why?"

Caretaker looked into the distance. "This little one deserves better than she will get here. She deserves all the love her mother and father will give her."

Krychekov nodded. He wanted his granddaughter to grow up being loved, not seen as a pawn or an expendable piece of equipment. "I understand."

"This way, sir," Caretaker said. She guided Krychekov towards the nursery.

"How did you determine that this young one is the child I am looking for?" he asked as they came up to a set of double hospital doors.

"By this stage in the Training, the sire and dam are allowed to visit the children, if they so wish. Usually the dam will regularly, but sometime the sire will or even both. She's the only one who hasn't had at least one visit." She pushed the doors open.

Although he knew the intended scope of this part of the Project, he was still amazed by the number of cradles he saw, well over one hundred. "Are they ever all filled?"

"No," Caretaker said with a sad shake of her head. "Thirty at most are ever filled with newborns. And from there the number drops to ten surviving their first three months. The sire and dam aren't allowed to see their get until then, or even name them. To insure loyalty, most of the werewolves created are Changed as young children or brainwashed as adults, but infants are highly valued."

Krychekov did some quick thinking. <Amanda would be six months at the oldest. Then that must have been why it was so hard to trace her. Her records must have only recently been made available.> "Where is she?"

"Here," Caretaker said, gesturing towards the closest crib as she walked to it. She turned to say something to Krychekov, but instead her mouth dropped open in horror.

Krychekov was almost deafened by the sound of a gun discharging close to his ear. He felt the scorch of heat as the bullet whizzed past him to find its target in Caretaker's forehead. Her corpse dropped to the ground.

He turned to see the expected sight of the Cigarette Smoking Man standing in the background. But he did not expect to see Warg holding the smoking gun in the foreground.

They stood there silently for a few moments, Krychekov waiting for Cancerman to give the order that would end his life. Instead the Smoking Man issued a different one to Krychekov's former bodyguard. "Leave us and wait for me outside."

Warg backed out of the door, her gun still aimed on his former boss. "You have a beautiful granddaughter, Dmitri," Cancerman said once Warg had moved out of sight. "Go on, take a look at her."

Krychekov walked to the cradle. He took a sharp breath as he got his first in person look at his son's daughter. Amanda had been wakened by the gunfire, but was not crying. Green eyes fringed by long dark lashes calmly stared back at him. Fine brown hair, closer to Jess's slightly lighter shade, crowned her head. So much of both her parents could be seen in her face that Krychekov had no doubts. This child was his lost granddaughter.

After he tenderly wrapped Amanda in a blanket, Krychekov scooped the child out of the cradle. The infant squirmed slightly, and then nestled down.

Cancerman stood in his path, but did not bar the door. "If you leave with her, consider yourself a dead man."

"I already am a dead man for finding her." Krychekov cuddled Amanda closer. She gave a soft sigh and snuggled down on his shoulder. "I need to make amends with my son. You, of all people, should understand that." He made his way to the door, passing by the Cigarette Smoking Man without looking at him.

"I can't be responsible for what happens next, Krychekov," Cancerman called after the retreating figure.

Krychekov turned back to look at the man in black. He fleetingly noted that Cancerman was already distancing himself by using his last name instead of his given one. "That is what caused you to end up where you are. You want the glory, but always refuse to take responsibility that goes with it." He walked through the door and past his former bodyguard without hesitation.

Warg raised the gun, sighting on Krychekov's head as he moved past. She awaited the order to fire.

Cancerman came out of the nursery. "Do not shoot. He will lead us to where Leahs and Krycek are."

* * * * * * *

Jess and Krycek stood outside the abandoned house, debating their next move. ~It's probably a trap,~ Jess mindspoke as they walked up the stairs.

~That's a given,~ Krycek mindspoke back. ~But maybe we should take the chance.~ He tried the front door. It swung open at his touch. ~Unlocked.~

They both slid through the doorway. The hallway was empty. But the in the living room was one piece of furniture - a cradle.

Krycek gave a quiet gasp. "Just like my dream..." he whispered.

They both walked towards the cradle and looked down. A brown haired baby, no older than six months lay nestled under a blanket. The baby cooed and smiled at the sight of two faces looking down at her and reached upwards, waving pudgy arms. Krycek swallowed hard and reached down to lift the infant. And, unlike his dream, he was able to scoop her into his arms. He lifted the child and pressed his nose to her forehead, inhaling deeply. Underneath the baby powder smell that all infants seemed to share, he could smell her personal scent. It was a blend of his and Jess's. He smiled. Krycek needed no genetic tests to tell him that the infant he was holding was his daughter. ~It's Amanda. I'm sure of it.~

Jess made a quiet, strangled noise and reached for Amanda. Krycek gently passed her the baby and placed an arm around her waist. Jess studied her daughter's face intently. ~She looks like you,~ she mindspoke.

Caught up in the moment, neither of them were paying attention to their surroundings. They jumped at the sound of a familiar and hated voice. "What a lovely family reunion." They turned to see a man in black and a what smelled like a female werewolf holding a gun on them.

Jess and Krycek both mindspoke at the same time. ~Cancerman.~ Jess's breathing sped up and she cringed backwards, a fear reaction. <He's going to take Amanda away,> was the only thought she was capable of thinking.

Krycek was also scared, but a surge of paternal anger flooded his system. "What the hell do you want?"

"The child," Cancerman said. "Believe me, Ms. Leahs, Mr. Krycek. This is nothing personal. If you two would cooperate, all this would not be necessary." He turned to the figure standing behind him. "Incapacitate the adults, but do not harm the infant," he said as he walked into the hallway. They all heard the sound of the front door open and shut.

Warg sighted between Jess's eyes. "I'm almost sorry I have to do this. You two are something of a legend around the labs. I really admire you for bringing down Alpha Wolf."

"You don't have to do this," Krycek said. "You can let us walk away with our child and come with us."

"And disappoint my master?" Warg said with a lifted eyebrow. "I think not. My rank in the pack will be greatly enhanced if I bring back your daughter."

Jess cradled the bundle tighter against her chest, lips drawing into a snarl as her muzzle extended. Krycek moved protectively in front of her, shielding his loves. "Then you'll get herrrr overrrrr ourrrrr dead bodiessss," he growled, half Changing.

Warg's aim shifted from between Jess's eyes to between Krycek's. "Not what the master wants, but if that's the way it has to be," she said, her finger tightening around the trigger. Jess and Krycek made an abortive attempt to scramble out of range. Startled by the sudden jerky movement, Amanda began to cry.

A gunshot split the distance between the werewolves, missing Warg by scant millimeters. The bodyguard turned and fired in the direction of the sound. They heard a groan and the clatter of something metallic dropping to the kitchen floor.

It was the last thing Warg heard, just before a third gunman fired a silver slug through her temple.

Jess faded into the background, trying to hush Amanda, as Krycek dove forward to snatch the gun falling from Warg's dead hand. As he hit the ground, he rolled and righted himself, aiming in the direction of the fatal shot. With his fur covered hands and long claws, it would be difficult but not impossible to squeeze off a round. "Ssssshow yourrrrrsself," he demanded, ears pinned back against his skull, green eyes blazing.

"It's me," a familiar voice called out. Skinner and Lindy stepped out of the shadows of the hallway.

Jess Changed back to full human and moved forward, still clutching Amanda tightly. "Walter? What are you doing here?"

"We read your email and followed you," Skinner said matter of factly. He leveled his gun at the shadows. "Who fired the other shot?"

Krycek spun around and aimed his gun into the shadow. "Who'ssssssss therrrrrrrrrre?" he snarled.

A weak voice called out in Russian. "Alexi, please, help me."

Krycek's ears flipped forward. He recognized the voice instantly, although he had never expected to hear it again. "Fatherrrrrr?"

* * * * * * *

Jess sat on the couch in the private waiting room. Amanda was laying against her shoulder, asleep after a bottle feeding. Lindy, in a show of independence, was curled up under a blanket on the chair next to her, but was as close to Jess as she could get without actually touching her. <Look's like we're going to have problems with jealousy,> Jess thought with a rueful smile.

Cautiously, she stood up, keeping Amanda supported. She carried her over to the crib that had been placed in the room and laid Amanda down on her back. Amanda didn't stir once, except to stretch like a cat in her sleep. Watching her daughter caused tears came to her eyes, but they were tears of joy. <So much has changed,> she thought. <And it's good changes. Not the usual shit that gets flung at us.>

They had gone to the hospital in two ambulances - Krycek's father in one, Jess, Krycek, and Amanda in the other. Skinner and Lindy followed in his car. But soon after they had arrived, they were forced to part company. Krycek had tried stay with Jess and Amanda, not wanting to face his father quite yet. But he had to consult with the doctors about his family's medical history. Skinner had disappeared, gone to notify Mulder and Scully.

Later, Jess and Lindy brought Amanda, who had been given a clean bill of health, to Krychekov's bedside where Krycek was waiting. "Here's Daddy," Jess cooed to Amanda, bouncing the infant in her arms.

Krychekov smiled weakly and shifted his right arm, reaching towards Jess. "May... I... hold... my... grand... daughter... one... last... time?" he wheezed.

Krycek looked at Jess for a long time. She had a neutral, yet watchful, expression on her face. "Yes," Krycek eventually said. He took Amanda from Jess, pausing for a moment to hold his daughter close. Gently, he laid the third generation Krychekov in his father's arms, avoiding crimping the various tubes attached to his body.

Krychekov smiled. "She... looks... like... her... grandmother," he whispered weakly. "I... wish... Katerina... were... here... to... see... her."

Krycek's eyes filled with tears. "I wish Mother were here, too."

Amanda scrunched up her face, preparing to give voice to a loud cry. As the baby started waving her arms, she picked her back up. "I think she needs to be changed," Jess said. "I've got to go hunt for a diaper."

"No, Jess," Krycek said, taking the opportunity to avoid his father. "Let me." He took Amanda from her and cuddled her under his chin. He gave Jess a quick peck on her cheek and left the room.

Jess turned to Lindy. "Go help him, okay?" Lindy nodded and left the room.

"Alexi is a lucky man," Krychekov said in a much stronger sounding voice.

That confirmed one of Jess's suspicions. Krychekov had been trying to manipulate the situation, even with a bullet to the chest. "No thanks to you," she spat out. "And I wouldn't call him that. He goes by Alex now."

"Americanized," he snorted in derision.

Jess shrugged her shoulders. "His choice." Jess sat down on the chair beside the bed. "You knew the whole time what was happening to him, what was done to him." A statement, not a question.

Krychekov hesitated a second before answering. "Yes."

"And you didn't help him at all," Jess commented. Her face was expressionless and as still as a mask

"I couldn't," came the weak defense.

"Liar!" Jess snorted. "The Consortium knows he's your son, right?"

Krychekov nodded. "Yes."

One of her eyebrows arched. "And you knew he thought that he was left to die in that silo?"

"Yes." The answer was very quiet.

"And he was in there alone for three days? And then experimented on?"

"Yes. I was ordered to leave well enough alone."

"Well, the way I see it, you were manipulating him also." Her voice hardened. "If I knew my daughter was trapped, I would do every damn thing I could to rescue her, orders be damned."

"My granddaughter..." he said quietly.

Jess's eyes narrowed. "What about Amanda?"

Krycek's voice was little more than a whisper. "Werewolves are not the only shapechangers the Consortium controls."

Jess leaned over the bed, her face inches away from Krychekov's. She understood the implications of other shapechangers. A look alike could easily disappear with Amanda when left with well meaning humans. "Is that a threat?" she growled.

"No, it is a warning. You were never meant to regain her. Don't think that They won't try to get her back." His eyes softened. "I do not want to see my granddaughter grow up the way They intend her to do. And I honestly do not want my son hurt any more." He paused. "There is a way you could know I am speaking the truth."

Jess's brow furrowed. "You're granting permission for me to perform a mind probe?" Jess wasn't sure that she was fully comfortable with the idea. Mind probes were tricky at best and could cause irreparable harm not only to her subject but herself.

Krychekov looked resigned to his fate. "Yes."

Jess nodded and stared into his eyes. Krychekov steeled himself for what he thought would be a terrible assault. He had seen what had happened to some of the humans the werewolves were allowed to play with to develop their mind powers. Some had come through okay, but most had deep psychological scars. One had even died from a heart attack, induced by the fear and trauma of having another mind peering directly into his. He felt a feather light touch brush against his head. He almost reached up to bat at the tickling sensation when he realized that it wasn't physical but purely mental. Then he felt a warmth seep into his brain. The only sensation he could equate it to was a heated skin cream slowly being absorbed.

Jess proceeded cautiously. She did not want to induce a stroke in him, or in herself for that matter. She started slowly sifting through Krychekov's thoughts, trying to get to the truth of the matter. She read his thought and his intentions as quickly as possible, wanting to get back to the safety of her own body. But unbidden, she saw fragments of memories through Krychekov's eyes. He/she was proudly holding his/her son Alexi for the first time. He/she was sitting at his desk stone faced, but crying on the inside, when his aide brought word that the love of his/her life had died. He/she telling his/her son, a reflection of the ambitious innocent that he/she once had been, that if he worked for Cancerman, he/she would never speak to him as a father again, bitterly regretting the words the moment they were spoken but unwilling to back down now that the die had been cast.

Krychekov felt the alien warmth receding slowly. His green eyes, so similar to Krycek's and yet so different, regarded Jess's brown ones. "Do you believe me?"

Jess frowned thoughtfully, sifting through all she had learned. "I know your intentions are honest. But don't expect me to convince him, especially if you keep sabotaging your attempts by playing these manipulative games." Jess got up and walked to the door. Three quarters of the way into the hall, she turned back to the figure in the bed. "He probably won't ever trust you. And I cant say that I blame him." Without another word, she turned and left the room.

The sound of the door opening snapped Jess back to the present. Skinner poked his head inside the waiting room. "Is it okay to come in?"

Jess nodded. "They're both asleep, so keep quiet please," she whispered, torn between the desire to show off her children and the maternal impulse to keep from disturbing their rest.

Skinner stepped quietly inside followed by Mulder and Scully. Jess moved slightly to one side, giving them a clear view of the cradle. Mulder, Scully, and Skinner looked down on the sleeping infant. "She's beautiful, Jess," Skinner whispered. "Just like her parents."

Jess smiled modestly. "I don't see much of myself in her."

"I'm just glad that she didn't end up with your pointy ears," Mulder said quietly with a grin.

"Mulder, bite me." Jess walked back to Lindy to pull the blanket more snugly around the young girl.

Scully looked around. "Where's Krycek? I figured he would be glued to Amanda's side."

Jess's smile fell off her face. "That's a long story."

* * * * * * *

Krychekov was aware of another presence in his room even before he was fully awake. Although Jess had been cautious and gentle, he had still been exhausted by the mindprobe and had fell asleep. He opened his eyes and saw Krycek sitting stiffly in the chair across the room. Wearing his leather jacket, white tee shirt and black jeans, his son looked lean and predatory. "Alexi?"

"Call me Alex," was Krycek's cold reply. He looked at his father with narrowed eyes. "You told me you'd never have anything to do with me, so why the hell are you involved in this?"

Krychekov gave a deep sigh. "Because it involves my granddaughter and my son."

Krycek raised his eyebrow. "I thought you said that you had no son." The words were laced with bitterness. "And if you don't have a son, you can't have a granddaughter," he added sarcastically.

Again a deep sigh. Krychekov wearily closed his eyes. "I was wrong to turn my back on you. I'm sorry."

"*Sorry?*" Krycek stood up and stalked towards the old man laying in the bed. "If you're so *sorry,* then why the hell didn't you get me out of that damn silo? Or help me find Jess? Or my daughter before now?" His indignation and outrage grew with every word.

"Alexi, I had to move cautiously" Krychekov explained. "I was ordered to leave you alone. But despite those orders, I have been trying to help in as many ways as I could."

"Sure." Krycek forced out the bitter word through clenched teeth. "And why haven't Jess or I seen any evidence of your 'help'?"

"Who do you think sent you that information? Or who you sent that email plea to? Or who you electronically spoke with?"

Krycek bit his lip, unsure of how to respond. "Okay, perhaps you did help us a little" he conceded. "But don't expect me to be bending over backwards in gratitude." He turned to leave. "Or expect me to come running to you for help."

"Alex." Krycek turned back at the sound of his chosen name, the name he used when he thought of himself. "They will try to get her back. Take care of my granddaughter." Krychekov looked older and weaker, as if the last day had aged him more than the last twenty years. "Be careful, my son."

Krycek stood there, staring straight at Krychekov. Jess had told him everything she had learned from her mindprobe. But his father had always been a master of manipulation. He could have been thinking those thoughts specifically to deceive her. But could it be possible that Krychekov was truly sorry about the rift that had come between his son and himself? "I always am, father," he said, walking away.

* * * * * * *

The next move they made was to go home. Krycek sat down on the couch, completely happy for the first time in months. He knew he should be worried about the Consortium's next move. He knew he should be worried about his father meddling in his life. But for some reason he couldn't. All he could think about was Jess upstairs putting Amanda down for the evening.

Skinner sat beside him. He couldn't help but grin at the expression on Krycek's face. <I don't think I've ever seen him so happy.> "What are you so smug about, boy?"

"I'm not smug, I'm content," Krycek corrected. "I have my daughter back, and for once, I fought against the Consortium and didn't get beaten up."

Both men laughed, and were still chuckling when Jess came downstairs, carrying the receiver half of a baby monitor. "I think she'll sleep for a few hours now."

"Enjoy it while you can," Lindy said from the chair near the couch. She was curled up with a book. "Mary said her little sister didn't sleep through the night until she was a year old."

A ringing noise filled the air. Jess picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Jess, it's Dana," came Scully's voice. She sounded urgent. "Is Alex there with you?"

The odd catch in Scully's voice made Jess blink. "Yeah, and so is Walter. Hold on a sec and let me put you on speaker phone." Jess tabbed at a button before hanging up the receiver. "What's up?"

Scully's voice was worried. "Has the hospital contacted you about Krychekov, Alex?"

"No," Krycek said. He leaned towards the speaker. "What about my father?"

Scully took a deep breath. "He's gone."

Krycek bowed his head. "I was with him a few hours ago. I had no idea that he was that bad off," he said.

Jess and Skinner both reached out and placed reassuring hands on Krycek. Both guessed that he was feeling guilty over what he had said to his father, despite the fact that he had needed to vent.

They heard the receiver rattle as Scully shook her head. "No, he's not dead. He's disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Skinner asked. "He checked himself out?"

"No. He just left."

* * * * * * *

Well Manicured Man looked displeased as he sat behind his mahogany desk. He glared up at his subordinate as the report was delivered. "And why were Leahs and Krycek allowed to regain their whelp?"

Cancerman held his ground. He had driven from Washington D.C. to Florida without stopping for food or rest. He was not about to play the ubiquitous servant. "Your niece has been harder and harder to anticipate and control. With the infant, it will be much easier to coerce them by threatening them with harm to either the adolescent or the infant. And also it will give us a chance to observe them raising not only the adolescent, but an infant 'in the wild' as it were."

Cancerman's superior frowned. "But it almost cost another associate his life."

"True," Cancerman mused. "But there was a bright side to that incident."

Well Manicured Man raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

"He revealed a rogue werewolf." Cancerman paused to take a drag off his cigarette. "If Warg could be easily swayed by me to spy on Krychekov, she could have as easily been swayed to spy on Us for another party."

"And speaking of my 'house guest,' he should be awake now." Well Manicured Man rose from the desk. "Shall we ask him for his side of the story?" he asked with a grim smile.

Cancerman nodded and stood also. The two men left the office and went to the living quarters of the house. Outside one of the guest rooms, a man with amber eyes stood guard. Well Manicured Man nodded to the guard, who let them pass.

Inside the guest room lay Krychekov on the double bed. The older man looked weak, but awake and alert. He looked at Cancerman and Well Manicured Man with caution and wariness. "Why am I here?"

Cancerman raised his eyebrows. "No hello or other polite niceties? Dmitri, I am shocked by your lack of manners."

Well Manicured Man smiled coldly. "We know that you have been in contact with your son. We know that you also helped him and my niece regain their whelp."

Krychekov knew better than to try to lie to these men. "Yes I was involved. I know what the penalties are for going against the Consortium's wishes, and am willing to face them."

"Mr. Krychekov, I'm sure we can reach a compromise that will be beneficial to both of us," Well Manicured Man said smoothly. "Your indiscretion can be overlooked if you prove your good faith by telling us how you managed to plant one of your agents so deep inside one of our labs. I can understand why you wanted your granddaughter and your son reunited, and others in our association may also. But spying on your allies is unforgivable."

"What are you talking about?" Krychekov asked. He looked truly confused.

Cancerman removed the cigarette from his mouth. "The young woman who led you inside was not one of our people. Her corpse disappeared from the nursery where we had our 'discussion.' We want to know how she managed to gain access, and why you hid the body."

"She was not one of my agents. She contacted me and offered to get me inside. I don't know why she was so interested in my son's child." Then he realized who the caretaker had resembled. "But she did look like Leahs."

Well Manicured Man looked at Cancerman who nodded. The Cigarette Smoking Man had noted and commented on the resemblance also. He knew that Leahs believed her dead sister Rachel watched over her, but this had to be a clever hoax. "We will have to verify this," the Smoking Man said.

Krychekov nodded. "You can contact my aide. He can vouch for the fact that I did not plant a spy."

Cancerman went to the door and signaled. Well Manicured Man shook his head. "That is not what we had in mind," he said as the guard stepped into the room.

Krychekov realized exactly what the guard was the moment he saw him. And the last thought he had before he fell into the werewolf's amber eyes was that this one wouldn't be as cautious or careful about probing his mind as Jess had been.

* * * * * * *

One Week Later

"She gets that from your side of the family," Krycek snorted. He patted Amanda on the back, trying to ease the child's discomfort.

"Ex-cuuuussssse me?" Jess said. "No one in the most obscure branches of my family tree has a burp like that!"

"Um, Jess," Lindy piped up. "I wouldn't say that," she said, placidly stroking Patches.

Jess appealed to Mulder, Scully, Skinner. "I don't burp like that, do I?"

An assortment of hems and haws met her question. And at that point, Amanda, perched over Krycek's shoulder, let out another belch of large proportions.

Mulder looked at Jess with humor in his eyes. "Jess, there are a few rare truths that are meant never to be discovered."

Everyone started laughing. They heard a car pull up in front of the house. "The pizza must be here." Jess looked out the window and stiffened. Krycek also looked out and stiffened. Mulder got up and added his face to those staring out the window. He saw Well Manicured Man getting out of a nondescript sedan.

Jess whirled to face those in the room. "No one say a word about Michael." She started to the door.

"Jess, that man ordered the death of your brother. You're not going to go out there and talk to him?" Scully asked incredulous.

"I have to," was Jess's reply. She walked through the door, face grim. Krycek passed Amanda to Skinner and followed her, also grim. Lindy moved to the window, peering around the curtain.

Scully turned to Skinner. She spoke the question on her and Mulder's mind. "Why?"

Skinner sighed. "That man is her uncle." They all moved to watch from the open front window.

Krycek and Jess stood on the porch, watching Well Manicured Man's approach. Half way up the walk, he stopped. Jess started forward to meet him. At her signal, Krycek stayed where he was.

Jess and Well Manicured Man stood staring at each other for a few moments. Jess's uncle finally broke the silence. "Congratulations on your beautiful daughter."

Jess nodded coolly. "Why are you here?"

Well Manicured Man didn't like it that Jess went straight to business instead of trading pleasant nothings. "Jessica, you know you will not be allowed to keep her. It will go so much easier if you just cede custody back to me. I can arrange it so you can see your daughter whenever you want. After all, we are family."

"Michael was family also," Jess said in a dead tone. "And look what happened to him."

"Jessica, I'm not certain what you are talking about," Well Manicured Man protested.

"How dare you," Jess hissed. "You lied to me. I know that you knew when I became a werewolf. I know that you had been watching us for many years. And I know that you ordered Michael's death, that Covarrubias was just a red herring."

Well Manicured Man smiled coldly. "And why haven't you taken your vengeance against me."

"Unlike you, I will not raise a hand against my family, no matter how much they deserve it." Jess turned her back on her uncle and walked back to Krycek.

"You know it is only a matter of time before we get her back," Well Manicured Man called after her.

Krycek put an arm around her waist, pulling her in close. "I think you had better leave now," he growled. Without waiting to see if Well Manicured Man followed his suggestion, he turned and guided Jess back inside.

The moment they were inside, they heard a car pulling away. Lindy went up to Jess and hugged her. Jess hugged her back and then looked at Skinner and Amanda. Soundlessly, she reached out her arms.

Skinner passed Amanda back to Jess. Jess cuddled the baby to her, tears starting to trail from her eyes.

"We heard everything." Scully said. She could only guess at the anguish that Jess must be experiencing.

Jess reached up with her free hand to wipe away her tears. "I was hoping They would leave us alone for a little while. I guess I was wrong."

Mulder shook his head. "The Consortium won't just leave you alone, especially now that you have Amanda."

"We know that," Krycek snapped. "We know that it's only a matter of time before something else happens." He then sighed and pulled Jess a little closer. "But until then, we're just going to live one day at a time." 

 

* * *

 

Alex Krycek belongs to TenThirteen Productions. No copyright infringement intended.  
NC17 for graphic sex  
Summary: Alex thinks about a first aniversary he and Jess share.

* * *

Loup Garou XII - Anniversary  
By Shael ()  
http://www.imadethis.org/loupgarou.htm  
Completed December 16th, 1997

* * * * * * *

I feel the bed shift underneath me. It feels strange, sleeping in a bed next to my life mate. In my time living with the rats, I never thought I would experience anything as normal at this again. I was wrong, and happily so. But it is hard to erase a year's worth of memories with two week's worth, even when those two weeks are of perfect bliss. And it isn't just sexual satisfaction, although that is a big part of it. Some of it is just the companionship of my kind, a werewolf like myself. Some of it is the fact that I am no longer running for my life. That's not exactly true, but at least I'm not wandering endlessly like I have in my past. And some of it is, for the first time in my life, finding true love and someone who returns it, despite knowing everything I've done.

Through the thick curtain of my eyelashes, I watch her. Few people realize that I can look like I am asleep, but am watching through the narrowestly slitted eyes. It has saved my life more than once even when human, appearing helpless but ready to spring into action in a split second. Jess is sitting up in the bed, thinking with a sad expression on her face, the one she hides when she suspects someone is looking at her. She has been like this all day, deep in thought, wrestling with her emotions, but keeping quiet about her struggle. She looks down at me, to reassure herself that I am still asleep. I am curious, so I pretend to be unconscious.

She comes to a decision. I watch Jess as she gets out of the bed, swiftly and silently, like the predator she is. She is so graceful, so beautiful, although she would never let herself see it. Jess opens the door to the closet, glancing back at me when the door creaks. I continue to feign sleep. She reaches up and pulls a beat up book off the shelves. Then she pads silently out of the room. I follow, as quietly as she, shivering as I leave the warmth of the bed. When the light in the livingroom flicks on, I stop, hidden in the shadows of the bedroom door. I watch as she walks to the kitchen.

She returns from the kitchen carrying a shot glass and a bottle of vodka. That is a bad sign. She rarely drinks, and then nothing stronger than beer or wine. The vodka is mine, the one indulgence in my Russian heritage I allow myself. She pours a shot and sits it on the table. Then she sits on the couch, her back to me, but I can see her clearly in the decorative mirror on the wall. After reading one page in the book for several minutes, Jess lifts the shot glass, staring past it into the distance, a silent toast. She stays that way for a few minutes. Then swiftly, without spilling a drop, she downs the alcohol in one swallow, grimacing a bit at the taste.

After putting the book down, I watch her settle back into the couch, one leg braced against the coffee table. And then she starts tracing lines on her breasts, slowly, deliberately. Her fingers trace around her nipples, then stroke radial lines to the base of her breasts. Then she curves her fingers down between her breasts to her navel. And then she does it again, repeating the exact same movements. But she isn't masturbating. There is nothing erotic about the way she fondles herself. Then everything becomes clear to me and I realize what she is doing.

She is remembering.

Remembering what that bastard of an abusive boyfriend did to her. She is tracing her scars, the ones given to punish her for trying to take back control of her life. She doesn't like to speak about that time, but she drops hints about the darkness she lived in. She has never told me exactly what happened that night, aside that Jake had beaten, cut, and then raped her, and that it hadn't been the first time for any of it.

Tears fall from her eyes as she unbuttons her sleep shirt and slides her panties off. With a shuddering sigh, she looks at bare torso, beautiful alabaster graced with pearl pink nipples and traced with the palest pink lines, offsetting her velvet soft dark hair. Then she hides her face in her hands, sobbing. Despite what she believes, the faded scars, mere ridges in her skin, are barely noticeable to all but her. Where I see glorious perfection, she sees hideous disfigurement.

I cannot let this continue any longer. She has helped ease so much of my pain, I have to try and ease hers. I step into the living room, not trying to conceal my presence. "Jessica?"

She starts and half turns at the sound of her name, crouching down. Naked and vulnerable, I've never seen her look more beautiful. "Alex," she whispers, reddening in shame. "Tonight, fourteen years ago...," she starts to explain.

'Shhhh, Jess" I whisper, walking over to sit beside her. I brush my lips against her forehead, resting my hands on her shoulders, pulling her tigtht against me. "I understand," I murmur. And I do, for I had endured the same thing, although she doesn't know. I will tell her eventually what Alpha Wolf did to me, but I can't, not now. I've told her everything I can will myself to about everything I have done, seeking absolution for my sins. But I am not ready to tell her how we are more alike than different.

Jess's scars have healed somewhat with time, but my scars are still too raw.

They are not physical scars like some of hers. Mine are purely psychological, and not all of them from Alpha Wolf. Some are from the one Mulder calls Cancerman, from doing his bidding. Some are from my father, ignoring me after Mother died, until it was too late. Some are from Mother, feeling abandoned by her death. And some are self inflicted, guilt, fear, hatred, and self-loathing, but all are blood red whip weals across my soul.

And then I realize something intensely painful and ironic. In a funny yet humorless twist of fate, the night she was raped was the same night I sold my soul to the Consortium by accepting Cancerman's offer of employment. Different years, but the same day. Jess and I are celebrating an anniversary of sorts. A weak laugh escapes my lips. Jess looks up at me, dark brown eyes puzzled. "What?" she asks, afraid that she is the source of my humorless chuckle.

"Something else," I whisper, wiping away one of her tears with the pad of my thumb. I kiss her forehead. "Not you. Never you." How could I laugh at the woman who is helping me put my life back together? I kiss Jess's lips, clinging to her as if to a lifeline in a raging river. And that is what she is to me, for I constantly feel that if I let go for even and instant, I will be swept away and drowned by the concequences of my actions. My tongue plunges into her open mouth with all the subtlety of a stampede of cattle. She kisses back and writhes against me, driven by her demons of memory.

If I have my way, there's going to be an exorcism tonight.

I fall back flat onto the couch, pulling Jess astride my stomach. I raise my knees, and she rests her back against my thighs. She sits there, breathing heavily. I reach up and stroke her chest, enjoying the texture of her skin. I cup her breasts and run my thumbs over her hardened nipples. Her eyes are half open, misted with tears of emotional pain and desire. "I don't want you to feel forced," I whisper thickly, giving her breasts a gentle squeeze. I then slide my hands to her waist. "Not ever, but especially not tonight." My hands slide down the sides of her thighs, and then to either side of my body. I close my eyes and tilt my head back, baring my throat to her. If she wants sex, she will have to take the initiative tonight.

I feel her hover over me, a warm breath caress my chin. I feel the cushions under me shift as she resettles to rest beside me. A wet warmth covers my Adam's apple, making me break out in goose bumps. And when I feel the slight suction, I clench my fists and moan, fighting my desire to roll her over and fuck her until we fall unconscious. I know that phrase doesn't sound romantic. But they are the only words I know that can convey my need for her body. No mere words can convey my need for her soul.

I feel a second, tremulous kiss on my collarbone. I shiver, giving voice to another moan. She is an eager lover, but a bit shy about being in charge during sex. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that she was a virgin when she met Jake and anytime she tried to explore, she was literally slapped down and asked who else she was sleeping with, because that felt too good for her not to have been taught to do that. Mulder aparently cured her of cringing in bed, but she still isn't fully comfortable yet. I hope to change that, although I am greatful to Mulder for teaching her that sex and pain don't go hand in hand.

Encouraged by the noises I'm making, she moves down lower and circles a nipple with her tongue. She latches on, sucking as if she were a nursing baby. And as she works me with her lips and tongue, her right hand slips to my boxers to stroke my rapidly swelling penis through the cotton. Her hands are gentle and feather light, a tease of what I hope will happen.

"Jessica," I whisper, a plea and a prayer. I arch beneath her hand, encouraging her to continue. She sits up and smiles, the first real smile I've seen on her lips all night. Both of her hands now rest on my boxers, trembling slightly. I raise my hips and she cautiously pulls them downward. My cock is swollen and purple and resting against my stomach. "Jessica," I whisper again as she encircles me with her warm hand. Her hand starts moving, pumping me with deliberate, sensual, lazy movements. I close my eyes with a sigh as she runs her thumb against the vein throbbing on the underside of my cock. I could come from this alone.

I feel the cushions shift again. Jess straddles me and lifts my cock, preparing to impale herself on my rigidness. I open my eyes and stare into the chocolate brown pools of hers. Something is nagging at me in the back of my mind, but I can't figure what it is, and really don't give a damn. Jess realizes it as my cockhead brushes her curls. "Condom," she half curses under her breath, lifting away from me to rest beside the couch. She kisses my lips briefly and then darts to the bedroom.

My head thumps back against the arm of the couch. Shit! That was too close! Even long before we met, she had tried the Pill, curious if this situation ever arose if it would work. Her sister-in-law, although a pediatrician, had managed to get her a prescription and authorize fertility testing for her. And the tests revealed that she still ovulated monthly, with or without oral contraception. As much as I want there to be no barriers between us when we make love, we can't risk Jess getting pregnant. It's not that we don't want children. I want more than anything to trace the curve of Jess's swollen belly, hoping to feel a kick in response. Or to hold my newborn son or daughter close, studying his or her face to discover what traits he or she inherited from which side of the family. But that time is not now, and possibly may never be. Our lives are too unsettled and dangerous to bring a new, innocent life into our world.

And as much as I want to be one, I am frightened of becoming a father. I learned in my psych classes in colllege and later at Quantico that you parent by example. And my example was a poor one. My father never physically abused me, but neglect is a form of abuse. And Jess's was little better, her parents shutting their children out of their emotions when her older sister died and trying to remold Jess and Michael into their dead Rachel. But, despite poor examples, we want to be parents. Maybe I won't screw that up like I've done with so many other things in my life.

Jess returns, holding a small packet. There is the ripping sound of foil and she is deftly unrolling the condom onto me. Again she settles onto my body. Again she lifts my cock and prepares to sink down on me. And this time, she does. God, she feels so good even with the condom on, all heat and moisture. Cautiously, she slowly works her way down my cock, allowing gravity to do some of the work as she is stretched. I reach up and brush her cheek with my left hand, thrilling just being able to feel her skin under my fingertips. I still can't believe that what the Cigarette Smoking Man intended as a curse has become a blessing. For if he hadn't sicced Alpha Wolf on me, I probably never would have met this wonderful woman above me. I would still be hiding in Russia, bitter over the loss of my arm, plotting blood thirsty revenge against Mulder, against Cancerman, against everyone. But my werewolfness caused healing in my arm, and she helped start the healing in my soul.

Those first nights were the hardest. Had I the silver, I would have committed suicide, not knowing about the incredible healing powers that I had been endowed with. The woodland refugees I had stumbled upon had explained their actions as soon as I stopped screaming, thinking they were saving me from a fate worse than death. "No arm, no test," they repeated emphatically, amazed at my ingratitude. But I was angry, hateful, bitter and unreasoning, the scent of my charred left arm making me nauseous. They treated me kindly for the short time I stayed with them, despite my curses and my threats, commenting among themselves about how quickly what was left of my arm healed. As soon as I was able, I slipped away to Peskow's datcha near St. Petersburg, to hide for a while.

I returned and slew them all, a true wolf among the lambs, at the first full moon. That night, once I was human again, I learned to love my werewolf self when I found my left arm restored to me. Thinking back, I do regret the wanton slaughter a little, but then I was just filled with the desire for revenge. They were easy targets I could vent my rage on. But now I know that my hatred was directed at the wrong people. I do hope to have a chance to direct my rage at the right people soon.

Jess is moving in slow, gentle up and down motions that threaten to drive me mad. She gently catches hold of my left hand and guides it to her breasts as her movements become more forceful. Now tears sting my eyes. How often I had dreamed of this, alone in the militia, in Russia, of the feel of her velvet chamber, of her downy breasts, of her hot mouth. Only now I find that reality surpasses the dream. Oh God! I have killed the innocent, and the not so innocent. I do not deserve this. I do not deserve her. But I love her, want her, need her. And the love and the want and the need all blend into a lightening bolt that races from my groin up my spine and explodes behind my closed eyelids. I arch under her with a soundless cry, eyes shocked open by the intensity of my orgasm. Jess smiles wider and clamps down with the muscles in her thighs and groin. As melodramatic as it sounds, I literally swoon from the sexual pleasure this wild, wonderful woman is capable of inflicting on me.

When I stopped trembling, Jess releases me from her body. Languidly, I sit up and remove the condom, knotting it to keep my come from spilling. We will destroy it later in the furnace in the basement of the building, just as we have destroyed the others. We cannot allow *any* genetic material that could possibly be used to create another werewolf, or child, to fall into the Consortium's possession. Jess is so cautious that she doesn't even lick stamps, buying premoistened or using tap water to wet the glue.

One man's paranoia is another man's prevention.

I pull Jess against me and nuzzle her neck. I lay back down and take her with me. Wanting to shelter her, I roll half on her, stroking the curve of her waist. She is still tense in my arms, although she is trying to relax. And in my post-orgasmic haze, I realize why she is still keyed up. "You didn't come, did you?" I whisper softly into her neck, and then kiss her hot skin, feeling her pulse throbbing in her veins.

"No, I didn't," she whispered with a slight shake of her head. She nuzzles me back, trying to reassure me that she's fine with not having an orgasm. Her hand idly wanders down my back. "It's okay. I don't think I can, tonight."

I kiss her hair, her eyes, her cheeks, her lips. "Yes you can," I whisper like a father encouraging his daughter. But my thoughts are far from parental. Leaving her petal soft lips, I kiss in a straight line from her chin down to the valley between her breasts. I tease the skin there, lifting her breasts and rubbing them against my cheeks. I nuzzle each of her nipples, stroking them with my tongue, relishing her moans.

I eventually continue to the curls between her legs. Her breath catches as my fingers begin to spread her open. I place quick kiss on the inside of either thigh, and then one between her legs. God! She is still moist and excited from earlier. Jess whimpers as I begin to go down on her in earnest. I find the swollen knot of nerves and flick it rapidly with my tongue. She squirms, unable to stay still. I hold onto her twisting hips, making sure my tongue stays in contact with Jess's clitoris. She keeps making feral noises, encouraging me to continue. And when I wrap my lips around her clitoris, sucking and pressing against it at the same time, she gives a half strangled gasp.

That is what I have been longing to hear. She makes that sound, sometime softly, sometimes loudly, every time she comes. When she makes that noise, I can't help but think of a virgin who has just come for the first time. But I half suspect the real reason for her cry is that despite how many times I've made her come, she still can't believe how good it feels, that she's still waiting for the pain that Jake inflicted on her during sex. I hold her until she stops trembling, stroking her thighs and whispering words of love. When I feel her muscles go slack, I crawl back up her body, kissing her sweating skin reverently. She smiles muzzily, eyes half shut. I run my tongue over her lips sensuously and she kisses back with equal passion, ready for another round of lovemaking. But it is too soon for me to get hard again, no matter how much I'd like to. I'll never be able to understand how a woman can come and be ready to come again within moments.

My eyes rest on the vodka. I push up on one arm and grab the bottle. One handed and in an awkward position, I manage to pour some into the shot glass without spilling too much. I place it to Jess's lips, offering. She shakes her head no, smiling, but wrinkling her nose, a wonderful sign that she is returning to her old self. I shrug and down the vodka with a grin. I then snuggle onto her. "Feeling better?"

Jess nods. "Much," she says in a mere whisper, but you can easily hear the satisfaction in her voice. She sighs and streches beneath me. It is one of those all too rare moments where we are not on guard and are fully relaxed.

"Good," I grunt, reaching behind me for the quilt resting on the back of the couch. I spread it over us, ready to spend the night out here. I don't want to risk breaking the spell our love has woven by returning to our bed.

Jess squirms a bit, trying to get out from under me. "Shouldn't we get back upstairs?" she asks, ever the practical one.

"Do you really want to move?" I ask, kissing her forehead, her cheeks, any part of her face I can reach. I don't want to move. I want to stay here forever, holding her, and never to have to face Mulder, Cancerman, or myself in a mirror.

"No," is the lazy reply. Jess shuts her eyes, wrapping her arms around me. "But we're just going to be embarrassed when Lindy comes downstairs to get ready for school."

I kiss her ear. "I'm sure that by now, she's figured out what we're doing." I never thought I'd be playing a father figure to a kid. Jess had told when we started dating about Lindy, about how that kid was almost everything to her, expecting me to be scared off. I almost was, but I couldn't go back to being lonely. I had never really been around kids, but was determined to make the best of a 'bad situation.' I was wrong. Lindy, although at first shy and scared of me, and I are slowly becoming friends, and it isn't as hard as I thought it would be. What is harder than I thought would be is learning to live with Jess. She and I have dealt with things alone for so long, it is difficult for the both of us to work as a trusting team. "I just wish you had come to me instead of me having to figure out what you were doing," I whisper into her hair.

Jess buries her forehead into my shoulder. "Alex, I didn't want to burden you," she whispers softly.

I roll onto my back, taking her with me. "It wouldn't be a burden," I say softly, lifting her head so I can look into those sad brown eyes, thick bangs tumbling into them. I reach out and stroke her hair back from her forehead. "You've taken on so may of mine. I could do no less for you." I nuzzle her shoulder and neck. "I'm here for you, the way you've been for me."

Jess snuggles closer against me. "Sorry," she whispers.

"S'okay." I pull my arms a fraction tighter. Jess's breath slows and evens out, a sign that she is drifting off to sleep. And I am not far behind. But despite my sleepiness, I can't help but wonder about the future. Maybe next year, we won't be celebrating this anniversary this way. Maybe next year we will have a child. Maybe next year, I won't be shadow dancing with Cancerman. Maybe next year, I will be alive. Even a murderous, traitorous werewolf can dream of a better life. And although my life with her is good, we will always have dread hanging over us. I want to give her everything she deserves. I want to banish the storm clouds that are on the horizion.

"Alex," Jess whispers sleepily. "My diary."

"I won't read it," I reassure her. As close as we are, Jess and I respect each other's privacy.

"No," she whispers. "Read the entry it's open to. I want you to."

"Later," I whisper into her hair. Jess doesn't say anything more and neither do I. I hold her for half an hour, listening and watching her drift off to sleep. When I am sure she is dreaming, I reach over and pick up the diary, careful not to lose the passage it is open to. And what I read surprises me.

"Tonight I met a wonderful man," is scribbled on the page. "Alex is funny, sensitive, and the handsomest guy I've ever seen. No, handsome isn't right, but beautiful isn't masculine enough. I think he might want to see me again. I am so scared. I haven't dated for so long, and my heart is crying out to take a chance with him. But I know the moment he sees me naked he will turn away, repulsed by what Jake did to me. I only hope I can see him again, maybe steal a few more kisses, and content myself with all too few memories."

I put the diary down, stunned. I had no idea she felt that way. I was always afraid she would find out who and what I truly was and despise me. Until we made love the first time, I half expected her to disappear out of my life. Even afterwards, I steeled myself for that possibility. And here she was having almost the same fears, but not daring to whisper a word.

I look down at her resting beneath me. Jess is asleep, her mouth open and a thin line of drool running down her cheek. I grab her discarded sleep shirt and wipe her mouth. She mumbles a little and closes her mouth. I feel a wave of awed tenderness wash over me. She trusts me. Even knowing everything I've done, she trusts me. Asking her to marry me was the right thing to do, even if we never will be able to. With Cassandra, it was all wrong. I was too young at the time, and too lonely to see it, but Cassandra was a manipulative bitch. And sometimes I half wonder if she wasn't working for Cancerman and her mission to chip away at my self-esteem until I was open to the black lung bastard's influence.

I yawn, tired of thinking. I pillow my head on Jess's chest, soothed by the steady thumping of her heart. It feels good to be in her arms, warm and soft and safe, something I am not used to feeling. And the feeling relaxes me, makes me drift towards sleep. And with the muzzy sensation comes the certain knowledge that Jess and I will be celebrating this aniversary, and other more happy ones, in the future. 

  
Archived: September 24, 2001 


End file.
